How Can I Help You?
by sugunary
Summary: After years away, Bella Swan returns to a place she thought she left behind, and someone she wasn't sure wanted to see her, ever again. A story of how your life can change when you least expect it. AH, B/E, Em/R, A/J Not a cheating fic.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Ok so after a couple of years reading fanfic, I finally decided to take the plunge.**_

_**This is the first story I have written, that isn't for children, since high school. **_

_**Originally I was only going to write it as a one shot but decided it would flow better**_

_**as a chapter story. It won't be long, but hopefully it will be good.**_

_**Stephenie Meyer owns the characters, I'm just applying them to my little story.**_

_**No copyright infringement intended.**_

**How Can I Help You?**

Prologue

With a tearful glance back at the place I called home for the last several years, I loaded my last box and suitcase in the back of my truck, made sure Riley was secure in his seat and got behind the wheel. As I clicked my seatbelt, the back door opened and Jake kissed Riley's head. "Be good for Mom, champ." Tears fell from his face and he wouldn't look at me. "Be careful Bells, keep your phone on and let me know once you make it. I just need to know you both arrived safely."

"I will Jake…I'm, I'm sorry for everything. Maybe…"

I glanced in the mirror, trying to catch his eye, but he was looking at Riley. "I have to go. Goodbye Jacob." As he kissed Riley once more, he finally looked at me through mirror. The pain in his eyes tore my heart out. I couldn't take it. "Bye Bella." He closed the door and I drove the car out of our neighborhood, towards I-5, heading back to where my life began.

The radio station I was listening to must have been in a mocking mood. Every breakup song imaginable seemed to be playing on a continuous loop. Why is it that when you are in love, all songs are filled with hope and joy, but when you hurt all you hear are sad songs? I switched to my iPod, pulling up one of my audio books. There is nothing like a good mystery to take your mind off your troubles. As I looked into the rear view mirror, I noticed Riley was already falling asleep. I hoped he would sleep for most of the trip. I had a little over 800 miles to drive, and knew I wouldn't be able to make it with a 10 month old in one day. Riley was my saving grace, he kept me grounded. I know what I am doing is the best thing for my son. If I can just make it to the Washington state line by tonight, I'll be happy. This was going to be a long trip.

Leaving Sacramento, I was going back to my tiny hometown in the northwest corner of the Olympic Peninsula. I was leaving a job I loved as a copy editor for the Sacramento Bee, and taking a chance on my dream job, writing children's literature. My best friend from high school, Angela, already submitted a couple specs to her boss at the publishing house. Just in case the writing doesn't happen right away I am also going to be working part time for the _Forks Weekly_ newspaper.

I actually made decent time, although I am sure Riley will keep me up all night. After all he slept about 8 hours during the trip. I checked into a small hotel on the Oregon/Washington border, then after feeding and bathing Riley, I ate a quick dinner. Just being this close to my father I was already feeling like I was home. I put Riley in his pack 'n 'play, and then left the bathroom door open while I showered the day's grime off. I was stalling. I have been making plans for this trip for a couple of weeks, but I still had not informed the second most important man in my life that I was coming home.

It was time to call Dad and let him know I was coming home.

OoOoO

_Please let me know what you think._


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: OK, here is the first full chapter. Hope you enjoy it.**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own it. Stephenie Meyer created the characters, I'm just using them in my story**__. _

Chapter 1

Riley finally fell asleep around 4 AM, 2 minutes later, so did I. The alarm woke me up at 8:30. Riley was still out so I took advantage and got ready for the day, while he slept. I was too stressed to do it last night, but I could no longer put off the call to my dad, Charlie. It was a Saturday, so I knew he would be up getting ready to head to Billy's. I had to catch him before Dad made that trip or Billy would spill the beans for me. Dad's best friend was Jake's father Billy Black.

Jake had grudgingly promised not to tell his father about our split until I spoke with Charlie. I was just supposed to do it yesterday, so I know Billy knows by now. With a deep breath in then out, I dialed Charlie on my cell.

My nerves grew with each ring of the phone. After the fourth ring I was ready to hang up, but he finally answered.

"Hello?"

"Morning Dad."

"Bella honey, how are you? How's my boy doing?"

"Ry's great, dad. He's growing like a weed."

"Good, good, I'm getting ready to head down the Res. How is Jake? Do you guys have plans for the day?"

My nerves were in overdrive. "That's actually why I called Daddy. I'm in Longview. Riley and I should be there in 4 hours or so."

"That's great news, cant wait for you to get here. Are you here for a few days, or longer?"

"Dad… Riley and I, well, we're moving home. Jake and I split up."

"WHAT? Bells, what's going on? What do you mean you and Jake split. You can't just up and leave your husband. Did you two have a fight?"

"It's a long story, Dad. I promise I will fill you in when I get there. It's going to be a long trip today, and it was a trying day yesterday, so can we just talk later tonight?"

It was quiet on the other end of the phone. I checked to make sure the call didn't drop and then said, "Dad? It _is_ ok for me to stay at the house tonight, right?"

"Bella, honey, I told you when you moved out that our door would always be open for you. Come home, baby girl and we'll talk. Do you want me to stay home and wait for you?"

"Don't worry about it dad, go see Billy. He's probably going to talk your ear off about this. Just please listen to me tonight? And Daddy, please don't hate me."

"Bella, you have me worried about you. I love you honey, and there is nothing you could ever say that will make me hate you."

Riley cried out. "I've got to go, Dad. Ry is awake and I need to change and feed him before we leave."

"Ok Bells. Please be careful, precious cargo is in your car."

"I'm always careful with the baby, Dad."

"I meant you too, baby girl. Love you."

"Love you too, Daddy. I'm sorry that I don't tell you that enough. I'll see you later."

Hanging up, I grabbed my sweet boy in a hug. Dancing to the bed, I blew a raspberry on his tummy before I laid him down to change his diaper.

"Morning, baby doll, we are going to Grandpa's today. He's going to spoil you…just wait."

After a bottle, another change, and checking out of the hotel, we were on the road.

It's after 3 when I finally pass the "Welcome to Forks" sign.

Just as I am turning down Charlie's street, Bon Jovi's song:

_Who Says You Can't Go Home_ starts playing in my head.

_I spent 20 years trying to get out of this place  
I was looking for something I couldn't replace  
I was running away from the only thing I've ever known  
__Like a blind dog without a bone__  
__I was a gypsy lost in the twilight zone__  
__I hijacked a rainbow and crashed into a pot of gold__  
__I been there, done that and I ain't lookin' back on the seeds I've sown,__  
__Saving dimes, spending too much time on the telephone__  
__Who says you can't go home_

_Who says you can't go home__  
__There's only one place they call me one of their own__  
__Just a hometown boy, born a rolling stone, who says you can't go home__  
__Who says you can't go back, been all around the world and as a matter of fact__  
__There's only one place left I want to go, who says you can't go home__  
__It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright, its alright_

_I went as far as I could, I tried to find a new face__  
__There isn't one of these lines that I would erase__  
__I lived a million miles of memories on that road__  
__With every step I take I know that I'm not alone__  
__You take the home from the boy, but not the boy from his home__  
__These are my streets, the only life I've ever known,__  
__who says you can't go home_

I'm home.

This is where my life began, and this is where I ran from eight years ago. I sat in the car, just looking at the house I grew up in. Nothing elaborate, we lived on my Dad's police officer's, and Mom's teacher's salaries. A small white frame house, with green shutters and a tree sitting right outside my bedroom window. It was home though, and I loved it.

When I was younger, I used to dream of being an astronaut. I thought that would be the only way to see the stars. It was always either raining or getting ready to rain, so there were few clear nights. I welcomed the feeling of being home, though.

Riley started to fret, and I knew I needed to get him inside and changed before he worked himself into a real crying fit. "Come on sweetie, let's go inside."

I grabbed the diaper bag, my purse and my laptop, leaving everything else for later.

I took the spare key down from the broken slat above the door, and unlocked my father's house. Nothing had changed. Dad's recliner was in the same spot it's been in since Mom bought it for him ten years before. I think the only thing different was the flat screen television mounted on the wall, and the playpen Dad must have set up before he left.

I sat Riley down in the playpen with a couple of toys while I went to the kitchen to get his lunch ready and prepare his bottle. I needed to call Jake and let him know we arrived, but I was dreading it. I just had not been able to look at him, or speak to him, without feeling guilty for so long. We used to be happy. Jake was my best friend and had been there for most of the milestones in my life. Now I think we've reached the point where we would never be able to be friends again.

"Jake, I'm here."

"That's good, Bella. Did Riley handle the trip alright?"

"Yeah, he was an angel. He's always liked to ride in the car. Remember when you drove him around for hours when he was colicky?"

Jake groaned, "That was the only sleep he got for two weeks, driving him around all hours of the night."

"I think he just likes engines. He'll grow up to be a gear head."

"That's my boy." Suddenly, Jake got quiet.

There was nothing but an uncomfortable silence for a heartbeat or two, and then, "Glad you got there safely, Bella. I have to get to work. Go see Dad will you?"

"Sure, I'm hoping to see Billy tomorrow. Goodbye Jake."

"Bye, Bells. I…lo… Bye."

Then there was a dial tone in my ear. I took Riley's bottle and his favorite mashed bananas into the living room to feed him.

Afterwards, I put him back in the playpen to nap and started bringing my things in. I really needed to get over to McCarty Realty first thing Monday. I couldn't stay with Charlie indefinitely, and really wouldn't want to. I love my dad, but I love my space too.

I set my overnight in my old room and stripped the bed to wash the sheets. After starting the washing machine, I checked the refrigerator to see if Charlie had anything I could cook for dinner. It looked like the entire fish population of the Sol Duc River was in the freezer. Thankfully there were a couple of steaks and a few potatoes that hadn't sprouted that I could bake. I baked the potatoes while making a small salad, then set the steaks to broil. Charlie was just pulling in when the timer went off on the oven. Riley started to squeal when he saw his Grandpa. "There's my big boy." Charlie scooped Riley up into a hug and walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, Dad, I've missed you."

I gave Charlie a squeeze then took Riley and sat him in his highchair.

"Go wash up Dad, dinner is ready."

"Smells good Bells, my stomach has definitely missed your cooking."

"Have you been spending all your time at the diner? You need to be eating better. The doctor told you to watch your cholesterol."

"Bella, I've been ok, Sue makes me dinner at least twice a week and Stella at the diner insists I get a salad every couple of days. I swear the women in this town love to run my life."

I smiled at that. "They are just doing what Mom would have wanted them to do."

My Mom had battled cancer several years ago, finally losing her battle almost 2 years before.

"I'm good though, Bella. Dr. Gerandy is keeping me healthy."

"He better be keeping you healthy, Chief. You don't want your deputies benching you, do you? Besides I am going to be cooking for you now, so no more pizza and junk food."

I plated our dinners and put some cut bananas and cheerios on Riley's tray. We sat eating quietly for several minutes.

"I can't believe how big Riley has gotten. Jake was a big baby, if I remember correctly."

I almost choked when Dad brought up Jake. "Yeah, I think he was, Dad. I'm sure Billy can fill you in on all of that."

"Bella, Billy didn't know, or wouldn't tell me what happened with you and Jake. Please tell me. The last I heard from you two, everything was fine. What happened?"

"Truthfully Dad, we haven't been fine in a long time." I guess it was time to face the music with Charlie.

"Let me clean this guy up, then we'll sit down and I'll tell you everything. I promise."

"Sure Bells, sure. I'll clean up here while you settle Riley down."

Riley was fussy, and I know it was because I was nervous. I knew my dad loved me, but he wasn't going to like me much after our talk. I rocked Riley while singing to him, trying to get him to sleep, and after twenty minutes he finally started to doze. Swaying side to side I gently placed him in his pack 'n play for the night, made sure to turn the baby monitor on and took the receiver downstairs.

Charlie was sitting in his recliner with a beer in one hand and a bottle of water for me in the other.

Handing the water to me, he patted my hand. "Alright baby girl, tell me why you and Riley are here and Jake is in California."

Here goes nothing. "Dad do you remember when I got my first job?"

OoOoOoO

_**Ok so there is the first full chapter. There is some back-story that will take place in the next couple of chapters, and Edward will make an appearance in the next chapter. **_

_**I don't have a set schedule for updates, the first few chapters are written, I just need to go over them again. **_

_**Like I stated before this is my first foray into fan fiction so let me know what you think. I want the good bad and ugly of it.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: This chapter is all backstory for Bella. I'll mark it once we get back to present time. I'll just let you get to it.**_

_**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns these fabulous characters; I am only borrowing them in my story. No copyright infringement intended.**_

How Can I Help You

Chapter 2

9 years ago

OoOoO

The summer before I turned eighteen was when I met the biggest influence on my life. My mom and dad didn't want me to get a job until after I graduated high school because they wanted me to concentrate on keeping my grades up so I could get a scholarship. I wanted to work through the summer and then during school afternoons and on the weekends to have my own spending money. I spent the last week of school working on my parents. There was a new store opening in the town square; it was big news for our little town. Forks, WA, had a population of just over 3,000. Usually businesses moved out of Forks, not into it.

"Mom, please let me go over and just submit an application. I've already sent my college applications in, but I won't hear from them until winter. Angela is going with me so we can work together and keep each other out of trouble." This was laughable, Angela, by best friend since kindergarten was the daughter of the local minister, my dad had recently been promoted to Chief of Police, I don't think there was a chance we would ever be considered troublemakers.

"Bella, honey, Dad and I just wanted you to be able to have fun before you go of to college. That's really the only reason we kept saying no. Once you leave home your life will be full of stress, and then you will have to work."

"I'm seventeen Mom, don't you think its time I took some responsibly onto my shoulders? I only have to take 3 classes next year anyway, so I will have time to work a few hours a week. I really want to do it; I'll be able to pay for my own gas, too."

Mom smiled, "That's a reason to let you alright, we could go to Hawaii with what we'd save on gas."

"The Beast isn't quite that bad Mom." My father bought my truck from his best friend down at the Quileute reservation in LaPush. It was a late 1950's iron tank of a truck, but it was reliable, loud as a Mack truck, but I loved it.

"Jake keeps it running smoothly, it just guzzles the gas. Please... talk to dad and consider letting me at least work the summer."

"Ok Bella, I'll speak to Charlie tonight and we'll let you know after school tomorrow."

"Thanks." I gave her a quick hug before running upstairs to my room.

_The phone rings in the middle of the night,__  
__My father yells "What you gonna do with your life?"__._

_Oh,daddy,dear,__  
__You know you're still number one,__  
__But girls, __They wanna have fu-un_

"Hey Angie, What's up?"

"Bella, you have got to come with me tomorrow even if your parents won't let you apply. Mom was just telling me about meeting the owners of the new store. It's a women's clothing and accessory store Bella. Can you imagine no more running up to Port Angeles or a three hour drive to Seattle to find the perfect earrings, purse, cute top? I'm so excited."

"I can tell Ang. Mom and dad are going to talk about it tonight, but I think Mom will let me apply. Did your mom tell you about the owners? Charlie met them when they moved in, but hasn't told me much." With Charlie being the police chief, he usually welcomed all the newcomers to Forks.

"I think I know what you do, they are a married couple with two small children, moved from Seattle to raise their family in a safe small town."

"You can't get much safer than Forks, I think the only person to sit in Dad's jail was his deputy Mark, and he was only taking a nap because of their new baby. Well I'm glad they decided to come here, no matter what the reason, otherwise I would probably have to work at Newton's Outfitters, and I couldn't take that much time trying to side step Mike Newton. "

Angela laughed so hard she snorted.

"Bella, why don't you cut the guy some slack, go on one date and make sure you bore him to death, maybe then he'll lose interest."

"You're just lucky you have Ben, Angela. I wish I could find someone like him. My choices seem to be Mike the puppy dog, or Tyler Crowley, Mr. Grabby-hands. I'm probably going to have to wait until college to find the perfect guy."

"Ya know Bella there is always Jacob."

"Ewww! I love Jake, but he's like my brother. It would be too weird."

"Bells, that boy has been in love with you since second grade, he's great, he's there for you, and he's definitely a thousand times better for you than Mike."

"I don't know, I've never felt that way about him, but maybe later on… if I don't find Mr. Right, maybe I'll consider Jake. I just don't want to hurt him or our friendship."

Dad called up the stairs for me to come down. "Ang, Dad is home, I need to run. I'll see you tomorrow at school."

"Night Bella"

"Night"

I walked down to the living room where Charlie was sitting in his recliner. "Hey sweetheart. Mom was telling me what you talked about earlier. If working for the summer is what you really want to do, go ahead and apply. The Cullen's are still painting the store, so you should be able to track them down tomorrow."

I fell into his lap and hugged him hard. "Thanks Daddy, I really hope I can get a job there." Hugging my mom, I ran back upstairs. "You won't regret it, and I promise I'll still keep my grades up."

After quickly calling Angela to let her know, I set my alarm and got ready for bed.

School was a madhouse the next morning. Seniors were taking their exams a week early, so the rest of the students had to be not only quiet , but we had classes outside. This meant we were basically doing nothing all day. Girls sat together under the trees, the guys drifted to the track to throw baseballs or footballs around.

After an agonizingly slow day, we were finally released. Angie rode with me to the square. "Bella, we need to make a quick stop into the bakery. Mom wants me to take a basket of muffins to Mrs. Cullen."

"Sure Angie, no problem."

Mrs. Weber saw us through the glass and waved us in. "How was school, girls?"

"Boring" we laughed together.

"Angela, here is the box of pastries for Mrs. Cullen. Please tell her I will come down later to help, if she wants."

"I'll tell her, bye Mom"

We walked down two storefronts. _SPARKLE _was painted in blue across the door, we knocked and heard a crash. "Shit!"

"Uh oh, that didn't sound good Ang."

We were about to make a hasty retreat when the door swung open. "Hi, how can I help you?" There was a very little woman with pale blue paint dripping down her shirt.

"Hi, I'm Bella Swan, this is Angela Weber. We're hoping that you would still be accepting applications for the summer."

"Oh sure, come on in. Watch the paint splatters, I just knocked the pan off the ladder. I'm Alice Cullen. Let me go wash some of this paint off and I will see if my sister-in-law has the forms for you."

Alice went back through a door in the rear of the store, she almost seemed to dance when she walked. The store itself was nice sized, there were drop cloths around where all the painting was taking place. In the back were two dressing rooms, and several display cases.

While we were admiring how the store was coming together, the back door opened to show the most stunning person I had ever seen. I had expected Mrs. Cullen to be a normal "mom" type, like my mom or Angela's, but she was an absolutely stunning, statuesque, strawberry blonde. She was also the most down to earth, lovely woman I had ever met.

"Hi, girls, Alice told me you were interested in out part-time positions."

"Yes Mrs. Cullen," I began. "Angela and I are just finishing our junior year at Forks High, and we are looking for work for the summer."

Angela remembered the box in her hands. "My mother sent these down from her bakery for you, Mrs. Cullen, and she also wanted me to let you know she's available if you need any help later on setting up."

"That's very kind of her, and please, call me Tanya. Mrs. Cullen is my mother-in-law. Come back to my office girls, let's visit for a bit, then I'll let you fill out the applications."

We walked into her office and sat down amongst all the moving boxes. "I'm trying to get things set up here, but it is slow going. Alice is helping me out while my husband is settling everything in Seattle with our girls. So tell me all about yourselves."

We all talked for over an hour. Tanya was absolutely fabulous. She told us about her family, she graduated with a degree in design and business, going to work for a woman who would later be her mother in law. "Esme is wonderful, she'll visit often, she has to get her granddaughter fix, and Katie and Rini love her." Tanya was my mom's age, 37, her daughters Kate, 6, and Irina or Rini, was 5. "We had them close together because I didn't want to be too much older when I had them. Edward, my husband is only 28, so he really could have waited, but he told me there was no one else for him, I was it." Angela and I swooned listening to their story. "It's like a fairy tale. So romantic, Tanya."

"Oh you girls make me feel young. I'm not even going to make you fill an application out. I know this would be your first job, you both are children of pillars in the community, so welcome. I would be so happy if you both would work with me."

Angela and I looked at each other, smiled widely. "Thank you so much Tanya. We can't wait to start."

Tanya laughed then, "Good, because I want you both here bright and early tomorrow. We have to set up all the stock for the store. We open in 6 days."

After saying good bye to a still blue Alice, Angie and I drove back to my house to study and give my parents the news.

Angie and I spent the weekend helping Tanya and Alice unpack, price and display the stock, also learning the best perk of working in women's fashion. We got first dibs on the products. I think we each had our first paychecks spent by the time we had hung the last blouses up, Sunday afternoon. Tanya went down to Weber's Bakery to get drinks and snacks for us. Angela was taking the last of the boxes to the dumpster in the back while I was creating a jewelry display in the front window, when the door opened and the bell chimed. I looked up and met the most mesmerizing emerald green eyes. "Um, hi. We aren't open for business yet, is there anything I can help you with?"

Breaking eye contact, I noticed the eyes belonged to the most beautiful face. "I'm Edward, Edward Cullen." Oh God, kill me now, I was checking out my boss's husband. I was blushing ten shades of red by the time my mouth decided to work. "Hi, Mr. Cullen, I'm Bella Swan. It's nice to finally meet you, Tanya has told me and Angela all about you." She did forget to say he was a God, though. Stop thinking about that Bella. He's going to think you are mental.

"Good to meet you, Bella. Is Tanya in the back?"

"No, she just stepped…"

"Eddie! You made it!" I had to smile at Tanya's enthusiasm. She sounded like one of the cheerleaders at school. Edward swept her into his arms and gave her one of those movie love story kisses. I turned away to give them some privacy.

"Go Tanya" I heard Angela call from the back. Tanya pulled away from her husband, laughing over at the two of us. "Girls, this is my husband, Edward. Honey these are the two girls I told you about, Bella Swan and Angela Weber."

"Bella and I just met, and Angela, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Babe, where are the girls?"

"Mom took them over to the ice cream shop. They'll be bouncing off the walls in a while."

Angela and I continued working around the store while Tanya and Edward went to her office.

"Wow, he's hot!"

"Angela, he's our boss."

"He's still hot, with a capital H. Their children have to be beautiful, there is no way those genes could produce ugly kids."

I pushed her out of the way, "You are such a nut Ang, but I think we'll find out right now. I see two little girls coming this way with dripping ice cream cones. Pass me the paper towels, please."

As the door opened I wet two towels and headed to meet Mrs Cullen and the girls.

"I think these will help."

"Thank you, Katie and Rini can make a mess in no time flat. I'm Esme Cullen."

"Bella Swan, nice to meet you. Hi girls, lets wrap those cones up in paper towels to keep from dripping all over your mom's new carpet." Katie and Rini were absolutely adorable, one had blonde hair, one auburn hair and both had deep green eyes and cute little freckles over their noses.

"I'm Bella, and this is Angela. We work for your mom. Which one of you is Katie?" The auburn haired girl raised her hand.

"Well Miss Katie, how would you like to help me take these items back to where they go. Angela can you bring Rini? I think there is someone that wants to see them."

We led the girls with Esme following us to Tanya's office, I knocked- no telling what might be going on in there, and Edward opened the door.

"I think we have something that belong to you both."

"Mommy! Mommy!" Kate and Irina ran into Tanya's arms. You could feel the love that the Cullens had for each other.

"Tanya, everything seems to be set up. Is there anything else Angela and I need to do?"

"No girls, go on home. We are set to have the Grand Opening on Friday, so I guess I will see you then. Do well on your exams. I don't want your parents to have any excuses for keeping you at home this summer."

"Bye Tanya, Edward, nice to meet you. Bye girls, have fun with Mommy."

Angela and I left and Esme locked the door after us.

"Oh my God, he's just too cute." Angie was gushing.

"Angie, do I need to call Ben? You shouldn't be looking at someone else like that, let alone our _boss._"

"Come on Bella, you have to admit that you could totally go for someone like him, if he weren't married with children."

With a glance back towards _SPARKLE, _I sighed to myself. "Yeah Angie, I could, I really really could."

OoOoO

_**So Bella gets a job, meets the Cullen's. We caught a very brief glance at Alice and Esme, they will be around more a little later .Edward makes an appearance, and Tanya is going to be really really nice. **_

_**There are some fics where I love to hate Tanya, but this Tanya you are going to love. **_

_**I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Ok another background chapter. Bella's relationships with the Cullen family is growing.**_

_**Stephenie Meyer owns it all. I'm just borrowing her fantastic characters for my story.**_

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 3

Time seemed to speed by. As soon as Angela and I had finished writing our last exams for the year we hurried over to what had become our home away from home, _SPARKLE. _Tanya had definitely made the right decision in opening the store. Women from all over the neighboring area and as far away as Olympia and Tacoma knew exactly where to go to get what they needed for any occasion.

Angela and I were laughing like hyenas when we walked into the store. Tanya looked up from where she was assisting Mrs. Newton choose the right jewelry for an outfit.

"What has you girls in such a great mood?"

"Freedom! We're free from teachers, homework, and annoying boys for ten glorious weeks", I told her. Tanya laughed and said, "I can see how that would cause your reaction. Why don't you two go help Edward check in the new stock that arrived, you'll quiet down pretty quickly once you're working. Go on!" We giggled back to the storeroom and got ready for work.

In addition to working hours in the store, Tanya asked if I would mind babysitting the girls. "Don't worry, it's not going to be an all the time thing. The girls just love you, so we hoped it would be easier on them if you watched them. I promise we won't intrude on your date nights or nights you plan with friends. You're young and you should be out having fun, too!" I just smiled at Tanya. "I don't mind watching the girls for you. I'm not dating anyone, so I have the time."

Tanya had quickly become another mother for me. She asked me about my future plans, such as where I wanted to go to school, what I wanted to study, and if there were any boys I was interested in. As close as I was to my own mother, there were just certain things I didn't want to discuss with her because I'd never make it through the conversations. Tanya was very open with me and I was more comfortable asking her about things to do with boys and sex, more precisely why high school boys only seemed interested in how far they could get a girl to go with them. She answered my questions as honestly as she could, and commiserated with me about the idiocy of some boys.

I had thought I would have a relatively boy free summer, but apparently Mrs. Newton filled Mike in on my schedule at _SPARKLE_. I walked into work the second week of summer to find Angela waving a phone message at me, laughing. "Bella you got a "personal call" at work. You know how Tanya and Edward look down on that."

"What the Hell? Angie what are you talking about? Tanya…"

"Hey Bella."

I turned around not even realizing the door had opened. I tried to hide my grimace.

"Oh, hi Mike, what can I help you with?"

"Mike is the one that called you Bells." Angela was trying so hard not to laugh; I really wanted to smack her.

"Oh, so what did you need?"

"You" I almost swallowed my tongue.

"Mike I have to get to work. We aren't allowed to have friends or anyone like that here while we are on business hours so I'll talk to you later. OK?"

He smiled and I knew I was in trouble. "Sure, I'll call you tonight. Bye, Bella."

He left as I was setting my things in the back.

"Angie…why? Why do you put me through that stuff?" She was really laughing at that point. "He likes you Bella."

I scowled at her, trying to get her to stop the laughter. "And you know I don't like him at all, he's barely a friend at this point, more of an annoyance. You so could have helped me."

"What do you think I was doing? I was trying to give you a way to get rid of him."

"He's going to be a pill this summer I can just feel it. Isn't he still dating Jess?"

Angela rolled her eyes, "She's visiting her grandparents until August."

I spent the rest of the week dodging any and all Mike Newton related interactions.

I was going with my parents down to La Push for a bonfire and barbeque Friday night then I would be staying over at the Cullen house Saturday, babysitting the girls until Sunday night, while Tanya took Edward away for a birthday surprise.

I had managed well with only a little help from Angie, avoiding Mike while at work, but I knew my luck had run out Friday at lunch. I had run down to Weber's Bakery to pick up drinks and sandwiches for everyone, when I smelled Mike's toxic cologne. After placing the order, I moved down the counter to wait when he started speaking.

"You are very hard to get a hold of." Duh, take a hint maybe.

"I'm just really busy this summer, Mike. I have a lot going on."

"Well I have your attention for now ... so I have tickets to the concert up in P.A. on Saturday." He's got that stupid puppy look on his face again.

"Um, that's good, you'll have fun."

"Go with me? We can make a day of it; we'll have a great time."

I glanced up at Mike, really hoping there wasn't a look of disgust on my face to match what I was feeling in my heart.

"Mike aren't you still dating Jess? Take her; I know she'd want to go."

"She's still visiting her grandparents, and she wouldn't have to know about it."

The disgust for him kept growing.

"Mike, Jess is my friend and even if I was interested, which I'm not, I wouldn't do that to her. I'm not dating this summer. I decided I was going to work and concentrate on spending more time with my parents before I go off to school next summer."

"Bella, we'll have fun, please just go to the concert?"

Mrs. Weber finally had my order ready to go, taking it; I turned back to the bane of my existence.

"No, Mike, really I am not interested. I've got plans this weekend anyway, family party tonight, and I'm staying over at the Cullen's house the rest of the weekend."

I was definitely not going to mention that I will be the only one there with the girls, no need to have the idiot show up uninvited. I rushed back to the store, Angie holding the door open for me.

"Just don't even say it, Ang. Don't!" I stormed back to the storeroom.

I heard her giggle as I set up our lunch.

"Are you alright, Bella?" I looked over to see Tanya and Edward leaving the office.

"Sure, sorry to interrupt you guys. I just wanted to set up our lunch."

Tanya looked at me, "Nope there is something going on, so spill it."

"Why are guys such idiots? No offense Edward, but they are."

Edward shook his head, smirking. "No offense taken. So what did the idiot do?"

"Mike Newton asked me out, again. He's dating a friend of mine and thinks I'd be ok going out with him, since she's out of town. He's really an idiot."

Tanya smiled, "This is the boy Angela told me wont leave you alone and has been asking you out for years? He's just trying to sow his oats. He doesn't know what he really wants so he wants to try it all at once."

"Yes he's the guy that's been following me like a lost puppy at school. I just can't get it through his thick skull that I'm not interested in him."

"Well", Edward started, "you either have to be blunt and tell him to leave you alone, or find someone to date and rub it into his face a little. He'll get the message that way."

I grimaced, "The problem with that is there is no one in Forks I am interested in dating. Angela thinks I should try dating Jake, but he's always been like a brother, at least that's how I feel about him. I want to find someone like you did, Tanya."

Edward blushed and Tanya just smiled at me.

"Well Bella, I'd offer you Edward's little brother, but he doesn't have one," she laughed.

I sighed dramatically, "If only there was a way to instantly clone him. Thanks for listening guys, I appreciate it. You can consider it practice for when Kate and Rini start bringing boys around."

I was just stepping back into the front of the store to relieve Angela as Tanya said, "Don't worry Bella, you will find your one. It's probably going to happen when you least expect it."

After my shift was over, I drove home to get ready for the barbeque at Harry Clearwater's house. Harry was Dad's fishing partner and life-long friend. As soon dad had parked the car, my door was being yanked open and I was dragged out of the car.

"Jake? What's the rush?"

"Come on Bells, the guys have the bonfire going in the back. We have marshmallows and chocolate, you know what that means?"

"S'mores!" With a quick "see ya" to my parents, Jake practically carried me towards the fire. His friends Quil and Embry were already there as well as Claire, Quil's girlfriend.

"Hey Bella, long time no see!"

They all gave me hugs, welcoming me back.

"Yeah, sorry about that, I've been working trying to save money for college next year."

Embry looked over at Jake, "He's been groaning about not being able to spend much time with you. For the love of God, and our sanity, please take him out one day. Make the whining stop, please I beg you!"

I was giggling at Embry's outburst, but Jake looked really uncomfortable. "I'm sorry Jake, I promise to be a better friend, and we can go to Port Angeles next weekend. There is some sort of car show, I think. We'll spend some quality BFF time, I swear."

Jake was still grumbling about Embry being an asshat. "Sure, sure, Bells."

We all sat around the bonfire talking and laughing into the night. When everyone started leaving, Jake walked me over to dad's cruiser. "I've missed you Jake. I promise to be a better friend."

Jake gave me a tight hug. "I know you've been busy Bella, I just miss you. Take a break from work and come swimming with me tomorrow, be young, irresponsible, get into trouble."

"I can't get into trouble with you tomorrow Jake, I'm staying at the Cullen's house, babysitting." Jake looked so disappointed, "Next weekend you're mine right?"

I hugged him back, "All yours Jake. I'll call you later, k?"

"Bye Bella, See ya later alligator."

"After while crocodile."

I laughed, we had always had fun and been goofy together, nothing had changed.

Saturday morning found me carrying an overnight bag with clothes and toiletries into Tanya and Edward's massive home. I had been by it a few times to drop something off for Tanya, but never got a chance to look it over. Tanya told me it was an old Victorian that they decided to remodel with Esme's help.

Tanya took me up to the third floor where the guest room was. After setting my things down she proceeded to show me around. There were two other rooms on the top floor, the guest bathroom, and what Tanya explained was Edward's music studio.

"Eddie sound proofed the room so he could record his music." She pointed over to the wall where a row of different types of guitars hung behind a beautiful ebony baby grand piano.

The second floor was the girls' domain. They each had their own room connected by a large bathroom, and across the hall was a massive playroom. Downstairs, Tanya showed me their bedroom, across from them was a room that they set up specifically for Esme and Carlisle; there was a large family room, formal living room, and the most marvelous kitchen. Even at seventeen I could appreciate the heaven that was Tanya Cullen's kitchen. The appliances were all the ones I wanted once I was married and had my own house, gas range with a built in grill, double ovens, convection oven, I was going to enjoy cooking for the girls.

Tanya must have caught the gleam in my eyes. "Don't go crazy Bella, the girls will eat anything, so don't go overboard, keep it simple. Kate is already planning to get you in here tomorrow baking cookies and cakes. Everything you could possibly need is in the pantry or refrigerator. The girls are so excited you are staying with them I'm not sure they will want us back."

I smiled and then turned towards the front door. The sounds of the girls giggling and squealing as they tried to get away from their daddy only made my smile widen.

"BELLA, BELLA" Katie and Rini squealed. I rubbed my ear to chase the ringing away before bending down to give them hugs. "Hey girls, what are you doing?"

"We're baking cookies later, aren't we?" I smiled at them. "We sure are, why don't you go wash your hands and we'll make a batch of my double chocolate walnut cookies."

They ran out of the kitchen as Edward walked in.

"Hey Bella, I'm glad you could stay with the monkeys. Tanya has something up her sleeve and won't tell me a thing." Tanya just rolled her eyes. "Be patient, ok. It's not everyday that you turn 29. Did you put the bags in the car?"

Edward wrapped his arms around her, "We're all ready."

"You guys have fun, don't worry about the girls. I will call you if there is an emergency, but you are only going away for the night. It's not long enough for us to blow the house up." I smiled at them as they said a quick goodbye to the girls, only leaving after gaining promises for them to listen to me and be good.

As soon as I had turned the lock I said, "Ok kids, let's party!"

By the time Tanya and Edward walked back through the door Sunday night, I was ready to drop. I was absolutely exhausted. I didn't know how Tanya and Edward did it all day every day, I was only seventeen and they wore me out after 36 hours. We had a blast, but I learned a big lesson about letting 5 and 6 year olds try to measure flour, they managed to get it everywhere on the first floor of the house. We baked and had fun, and then after they helped clean up, I spent time until the wee hours of the morning trying to get rid of the excess flour. I was curled up on the sofa after putting the girls down for the night, when Tanya and Edward walked in.

"Hey guys, did you have a nice trip?" Tanya was full of smiles, "Yeah it was great. Did the girls behave?"

Yawning I said, "They were perfect, I just want to find a way to bottle their energy."

"Bella you are about to fall asleep. Call your parents and tell them you'll be home tomorrow morning, there's no way you are driving like that."

I shook my head, "I'm fine. It won't take long to get home."

Edward walked over, "Either call Charlie, or I'll drive you tonight, and you can get your dad to bring you back for your truck. You look too tired to be behind the wheel."

"Ok, I'll call dad and let him know. Thanks guys. I'm going to head up now."

My parents were actually happy that I wouldn't be driving home late and so tired, told me to have a good night and they'd see me in the morning. I changed my clothes into my sleep shorts and tank and then climbed into bed.

I awoke from my dreams hearing music playing softly. I thought perhaps Kate had turned her radio on too loud, but after stepping into the hall I noticed the studio door was cracked open. I pushed the door open and couldn't tear my eyes away from the sight.

Edward was sitting at his piano completely lost in the music, the melody was hauntingly sweet. I had tears in my eyes when the song ended.

"That was beautiful, Edward."

He jumped when he heard my voice. "Oh! Bella, I didn't know you were there, I hope I didn't wake you."

"Did you compose that piece?"

He blushed, "Yeah, that's mine."

"You are very talented Edward; I only wish I had that kind of talent."

He looked straight at me when he said, "You do Bella. Tanya has told me about your dream of writing, and about the stories you tell the girls. You are also a fabulous baker; I couldn't resist eating the carrot cake you made this weekend. It was delicious.

I could feel the heat on my cheeks. I just knew I was ten shades of red. "Thanks Edward. I'm just going to leave you to your music, and head back to bed. Good night."

"Good night, Bella."

I was scolding myself about having inappropriate thoughts about Edward. 'He's Tanya's husband, you can appreciate his looks, but nothing else. Don't think about him. Maybe I should take Jake more seriously.' I just wanted to find someone that loves me the way Edward loves Tanya.

The next morning I drove home thinking over everything Angela and Tanya said about finding your true love. Angela seemed to think Jake could be it. Is it possible to love a friend like a brother your entire life then almost flip a switch and find he's not a brother, but a lover? I was running all these thoughts through my head, and didn't notice my mother was waiting in the kitchen for me.

I gave her a hug, "Morning, Mom. Sorry I didn't get home last night."

She hugged me back, hard. "It's ok baby, I'm glad I didn't have to worry about you driving, and it's a good thing you stayed if you were that tired."

"Yeah, Kate and Rini wiped me out. I don't think you'll have to worry about me having babies too soon. I definitely need a husband and a few more years before I even want to consider kids. They are a lot of work."

"Just think if you have been watching babies instead of school age kids. It was a good lesson for you though. Bella, baby, come sit in the living room with me." She squeezed my hand and walked over to the sofa.

I walked over and sat down. "Bella I have something to tell you, but I need you to remain calm. Ok?" Why do people think you'll remain calm when they tell you to? That's like announcing the room you are in is on fire, but don't worry, you have a water gun.

You're going to worry, just tell it and get through it.

"Sure Mom, what's going on?"

"Remember I had my yearly physical last week? Well Dr Gerandy called and told me I had an abnormal result to one of the tests they ran, so I went back in for further testing.

I am going to Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles tomorrow for my pre-surgical workup. I have cancer, baby. It's Uterine Clear Cell Carcinoma, so I am having a complete hysterectomy then I will have to have radiation therapy."

Both my mind and my body had a violent reaction to Mom's words. I bolted for the bathroom, barely making it before I started retching. My mother wet a cloth and gave it to me to clean my face. After rinsing my mouth and convincing myself I could speak, I started in with my questions. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? You are going to be ok? They caught it early, right? How long will you be in the hospital and how many radiation treatments will you need?"

Mom helped me back to the living room and sat down taking me into her arms. "Slow down, hon. Let's see, I'll be in the hospital about a week, I wont know until after the surgery how many treatments, it depends on if it spread. The doctors are sure they caught it early, but this is a very aggressive cancer, and it has a high reoccurrence rate within 5 years. I'm going to listen to what the doctors tell me, read all the literature about this cancer, and take care of myself. I am determined to beat it, and I will be ok. As for not telling you, well we only found out Thursday, and I didn't want you worrying about it before you had to."

I just hugged my mom. 'Cancer, Mom has cancer', the thought kept circling in my head.

"Bella, I'm going to be alright, try not to worry too much. I go in tomorrow for the pre-surgical workup then the actual surgery will be Wednesday morning, early. Charlie will stay with me at the hospital, he won't even think about staying home." "Mom, did you really think we would stay home while you had surgery?"

"Bells, I don't want you at the hospital, do your normal day to day stuff, and I don't want you stuck in the waiting room at the hospital. I spoke with Mrs. Weber, you are welcome to stay with them if you want to this week, go to work, hang out with Jake, I'll be home soon."

I couldn't believe she was telling me to stay away from the hospital.

"I want to be there for you, Mom." "I know Bella, but you should be out having fun, not cooped up there waiting around. Keep busy and keep your mind of things until I'm home ok. Your dad will be just fine, and he'll call once I'm out of surgery."

Dad walked through the back door just then. "Alright my girls, let's get out of here and have some fun. We're going down to First Beach to soak up the UV rays that Renee is going to miss for the next few weeks."

We spent a great day just having family time. Still being stubborn, Mom kissed me goodbye and sent me to work early as they left for the hospital.

I stopped for some coffee at Weber's, then I let myself into the store. I was early, we didn't even open for another hour. I had hoped that I could talk to Tanya about Mom, but Edward was in the back, not Tanya.

"Morning Bella, you're early today." Edward called out as I walked into the back. "Tanya is in Seattle with the girls all day, so we get to hold down the fort." Edward was bent over the computer working on the books. He had yet to look up, so I asked him about leaving early for the day. "Edward, if possible I need to leave by 4:00 today, instead of 5:30. Mom is going into the hospital today and having surgery tomorrow."

Edward looked up at that and whatever he saw in my eyes had him walking around the desk and pulling me into a soothing hug. I completely broke down on him, crying so hard I knew I was ruining his shirt.

"What's wrong with Renee?" Edward grabbed the tissue box and handed it to me.

"She's got cancer. She found out last week, told me yesterday, and is having surgery tomorrow morning." He was rubbing my back trying to calm me down.

"You should have called us, Bella. We would have let you off today, Hell the whole week if you want to be there for your mom."

I stepped back and took a deep breath. "No I need to be at work, I want the distraction, besides, Mom doesn't want me at the hospital, I think she thinks I'll hover and drive her and Dad crazy. So give me something to do that will take my mind off my mom today."

I walked into the bathroom to try to repair my makeup, it wasn't going to be easy as I was looking a bit like Rudolph with my red nose and puffy eyes. When I had done all I could I went back to the office to put my purse away and came face to face with Edward's naked back. He was pulling on a clean shirt. I blushed again, I really hated doing that.

"Sorry about ruining your shirt."

He turned tucking in his shirt tails, "It's not a big deal, just glad I could be of help, if only as a Kleenex."

I laughed, it felt strange to laugh at such a time.

"Ok Bella, you said you want a distraction, right?" He walked up to me, looking me in the eye and grasping my shoulders.

All I could do at that point was nod.

Edward smirked at me and said, "I know just the thing."

OoOoO

_**Yeah I know, that was an evil place to break it, but I needed to stop it somewhere.**_

_**The next chapter is half finished and will post by Wednesday. We'll be back to the conversation with Charlie soon. One more chapter until we get there.**_

_**Please let me know your thoughts.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: We're close to the conversation between Bella and Charlie, next chapter will be back to the future/present, whatever.**_

_**Anyhow you know the drill by now:**_

_**Stephenie Meyers owns the characters, I just borrowed them for my story.**_

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 4

"_Ok Bella, you said you want a distraction, right?" He walked up to me, looking in my eyes and grasping my shoulders._

_All I could do at that point was nod._

_Edward smirked at me and said, "I know just the thing."_

oOoOo

Three hours later I was sitting at the table in the back eating a quick lunch and trying to stretch the ache out of my muscles. It had been a slow business day, so Edward and I had completely rearranged the store. We moved a few cases around and also moved all the clothing racks to new positions.

"I think it's safe to say I've been distracted. We got a lot done today, but will Tanya freak out about the changes?"

Edward stretched his arms, "No it looks good, and if Tanya does mind we'll just change it all back. Come on, lets throw the trash out then you can Windex the counters while I prepare the deposit."

I looked and felt shocked. "We're closing already? It's barely 1:00."

"Sure, it's been pretty dead today. I spoke with Tanya while you wrestled that dress rack around. She thought it was a good idea, so we are closing early and then I am taking you to Port Angeles to see your mom. That way you will know Renee is in good hands. After we leave the hospital I'll drive you home to pack clothes, or you can use Tanya's. You are staying with us this week."

"Oh Edward, you don't have to drive me to Port Angeles. I am fine to drive and I can stay home by myself, I am almost 18, you know."

"Tanya has already spoken with Charlie so everything is arranged." Since there appeared to be no arguing with him, I helped Edward close the store and then followed him to his car.

My mother was having blood work drawn when I entered her room. Edward stayed in the hallway talking to my dad.

"Bella, baby, what are you doing here? Are you ok?"

I shook my head at her. My mother is battling cancer, having surgery and she's worrying about me. God I love her.

"Everything is fine Mom. I just wanted to see you before you have the surgery tomorrow.

I was at work, but after telling Edward what was going on with you, he closed the store and drove me up here to the hospital so I could see you."

I sat and visited with her while various nurses and techs came in and out of the room to do tests.

"Bella, I don't want you alone in the house tomorrow. Please tell me you are going to stay with Angela."

"No Mom, I guess Tanya talked with Dad, so I am staying at her house tonight. I think they are worried about me, too. I mean Edward wouldn't let me even drive here today."

Mom squeezed my hand, "That's a good thing Bella. It's nice that they care about you so much. It seems Charlie and I were worried for no reason, when you wanted to get a job. Tanya and Edward have been such a blessing to our town and for you. It's nice that you have gotten close to Tanya and her family. She probably wants to make sure you have someone to talk to while I am stuck in here. Don't give Edward too much grief about driving you today. I appreciate the protectiveness he's shown, it's what fathers do Bella, they protect."

By five o'clock, Mom had been given something to help her sleep and Dad was finishing the dinner Edward had gotten from the cafeteria.

"Go home Bells, get some sleep. I promise to call as soon as Renee is out of surgery in the morning." He was shooing me out the door.

"I love you, Dad."

"Love you too, baby girl."

Dad said good bye to Edward, and we walked out of the hospital. When we reached Edward's car, he opened the passenger door for me, waited for me to enter and then shut the door. After he was in the car he said, "I'm getting pretty hungry. How about we stop for dinner before we head back to Forks?"

"Sure, anything is fine."

Edward drove a few streets over from the hospital to a little Italian bistro, _la Bella Italia._

"I hope you like Italian, Bella. I could kill for some lasagna right now."

I nodded and stepped out of the car. "I should give Tanya my grandmother's recipe for lasagna; I've never eaten better than hers."

The hostess looked like she would faint after her first glance at Edward. I laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"I'm amazed Tanya lets you go anywhere by yourself. She's going to have to put a bell or something on you. The hostess is lucky she didn't walk into a post or something when she sat us."

He had a delightfully confused look on his face. "What do you mean?"

I scoffed at his innocently put question. "Come on Edward, she was totally checking you out. Tanya should just tattoo 'Property of Tanya Cullen' on your forehead."

That managed to get a laugh out of Edward. "You know, I never pay attention to that stuff. I have a happy life with Tanya and my girls. Why look elsewhere."

Edward really was too good to be true, but that's just how he is.

After we ordered our dinner, we spent time just talking. Edward asked about my childhood and if I enjoyed growing up in a small town. I think he was trying to make sure his girls wouldn't grow to hate them for moving to Forks. I asked Edward about his music and how he met Tanya.

"She was visiting her cousin at UW when I was a senior there. I had just finished the recital that officially concluded my college career. Tanya's cousin, Chelsea, was also a performer and we all ended up going to dinner to celebrate. I spent the night staring at her, and we've been together ever since."

I was curious about the age difference, but wasn't sure how to ask him about it. I didn't have to, he volunteered that on his own. "My parents we a little unsure about their 22 year old son committing himself to a 31 year old woman, but once they saw us, and spent time with Tanya, their worries melted away. I've never regretted it, I love my family."

We finished our dinner and after picking up desert for everyone, we headed back to Forks.

Edward pulled into my parent's driveway, and I rushed into the house to pack a few outfits for the week. I grabbed my iPod and my toiletries then quickly locked the house and got back in Edward's car.

Tanya was waiting for us at the door; she told Edward to take my things up to the guestroom and pulled me to the sofa, wrapping me in her arms.

"How are you, Bella? Is your mother holding up alright?"

I took solace in her arms and then sat back. "I'm fine, Mom, is Mom. She doesn't want anyone to be worrying about her, so she acts like it'll all be ok."

Tanya squeezed my hand, saying "Renee is doing what my own mother did when she battled breast cancer. Mom turned a sunny disposition toward the rest of the world, while she was scared and hurting. Just be there for your mom when she asks for it, and as hard as it will be, try not to hover too much. I know its going to be hard on you, but let her lead you. Act as normally as possible, go out with your friends, work and treat her as if she's fine. If Heaven forbid, Renee gets sicker, then you hover. Right now I am going to make us some hot chocolate, maybe lace it with a little _Baileys_, and we're going to eat the cannoli you and Edward brought back from the restaurant." She patted my leg, stood up and walked to the kitchen.

I followed her, sitting at the breakfast bar. "I want to tell you how much I appreciate both your's and Edward's help. You gave up the remainder of the day's profits and had us close the store, just so I wouldn't have to drive to Port Angeles alone. You two mean the world to me." Tanya sat a plate with the dessert in front of me, then said, "Bella, honey, you mean the world to us too. I love you like you were one of my own. If you need anything, please never hesitate to come to either of us."

Edward came down the stairs and into the kitchen with a child over each shoulder. "Look what I found playing upstairs, a pair of monkeys." Kate and Irina were giggling like mad, trying to squirm out of Edward's grasp.

"Hey sweet girls! Did you have fun with your mom in Seattle today?"

Kate looked up at me and shook her head. "No we had to go to the doctor and get shots."

Irina scrunched her nose. "We don't like shots." I laughed at this statement.

"Rini, I don't know anyone that likes getting a shot, but they do help keep you healthy."

Tanya had just finished making the hot chocolate, pouring it into 5 mugs, and indeed lacing two with _Baileys_. I looked up at her when she handed me one of the doctored mugs. "It will help you sleep tonight. Don't worry I didn't put a lot in there. Drink it, eat your cannoli, then go take a bath and try to get some sleep. It'll be better in the morning."

After the weekend I had, the emotional day today, and the whiskey laced hot chocolate, I was ready for bed. Instead of a bath, I took a scalding hot shower, changed into my pajamas, and crawled into bed. I put my ear buds in and scrolled through my iPod until I found my classical section that I reserved for sleeping. Chopin's Nocturnes lulled me to sleep.

The next morning I was burning nervous energy in the storeroom reorganizing the overstock until I heard from Dad. I nearly fell of the ladder when my phone rang.

"Dad?"

"Morning, Bella. I just wanted to let you know your mom is in recovery right now. The doctors are confident they got it all. They took about 24 lymph nodes to test in addition to the hysterectomy. They put a rush on the testing, so hopefully we'll have those results late today. I'm going to grab something to eat before I am allowed back to see her."

"Give her my love, Dad. Tell her I am thinking about her, and I will come up when she's ready for visitors. I love you."

"Love you too, Bells. I'll call you later on."

After talking to Charlie I was able to relax and concentrate again. I gave the news about Mom to Tanya and then finished the reorganizing I was doing. The rest of the day passed quickly. Dad called towards the end of the work day to let me know Mom was still heavily medicated; she wouldn't be up for a visit until at least the next day.

Tanya and I drove back to her house after closing the store. Kate was bouncing on her toes anxious for our return. She wanted to do something for my mom to make her feel better, so after explaining why making cookies wouldn't be a good idea right now, she and Rini decided to draw pictures and make cards. After dinner we went up to the playroom and made several pictures and Get Well cards.

Tanya and Edward "oohed and ahhhed" over their daughters' artwork while I went back to clean up the mess.

I had just vacuumed the last of the glitter when my phone rang. "Hey Jake, what's up?"

I heard a motor rev in the background.

"Where are you Bells? I'm in your driveway, but you aren't home. Are you still at the hospital?"

"No, Mom isn't up for visitors just yet and my parents didn't want me staying alone, so I am staying with Tanya and her family."

"Oh, well I was just wondering if you wanted to go out for a while tonight, ya know try to clear your head and all."

Honestly I didn't feel like going out, but Jake had driven up from La Push and I did want to be a better friend.

"Sure Jake, that would be nice. Do you know where the Cullen House is?"

The motor revved again, "Yeah I'll be there in less than 10 minutes."

I went down to the living room to tell Tanya I would be going out for a little while. I explained that Jake was going to take me out for a drive to clear my head, and promised the girls that I would read to them the following night. Tanya thought going out was an excellent idea, Edward as well, until the unmistakable sound of a motorcycle drove up to the house.

I was in the process of saying "goodbye" when Edward said, "I don't think this is such a good idea anymore. It's dark, and that bike doesn't look very safe."

"I'll be fine Edward, I've ridden with Jake lots of times before, he's always careful with me." I called out the door to Jake. "Just give me a minute Jake, I'll be right there."

Edward looked so unsure. "Bella, Charlie asked us to look out for you, and this isn't looking out for your wellbeing."

Tanya stepped in, "Do you have a helmet Bella?"

"Yes, Tanya, it's in the motorcycle's seat compartment."

"Ok, so just make sure you wear it while on the motorcycle." Tanya called out to Jake, "Jacob, please take it easy tonight, the last thing we need is a trip to the ER."

"We'll be careful, Mrs. Cullen. I always look after my Bella."

I gave Tanya a hug and a thank you, "I promise to wear the helmet and we won't be out too late. Try not to worry, Edward."

"Ok, just please be careful."

I walked down to Jake and gave him a hug before climbing behind him and putting my helmet on.

"So where are you taking me, Jakey?"

"Let's drive down to the beach. The moon is full tonight and there aren't many clouds."

I put my jacket on, then wrapped my arms around his waist. There was nothing like the feeling of riding a motorcycle, it felt like flying. I've never been scared of the speed or the so called "what could happen" scenarios. We had rebuilt a pair of motorcycles last fall…well ok Jake actually did the rebuilding, I just handed him tools and cans of Coke.

I realized as we were making our way to First Beach just how much I had missed spending time with him. I really had been a horrible friend to Jake the last several months. I squeezed him tighter, snuggling into his back. He pulled into the parking lot and looked over his shoulder at me, smiling. "What was that for?"

"I just am really happy to see you Jake. I needed this tonight. How is it you always know what I need?"

Jake slowly climbed off the bike and helped remove my helmet. "Come walk with me."

We started down the boardwalk, removing our shoes and socks and rolling our pant legs up to our calves. He took my hand and walked us to the edge of the beach where the water was just grazing our feet.

"Bells, we've know each other forever. I've always been able to read you. You're an open book to me. I know that you've always considered me just a friend, best friend, but I've needed to tell you this for some time. I'm in love with you, Bella. I think I always have been, even back in kindergarten. I know you love me but I want you to fall in love with me, too. I want to take you out like this, on real dates."

I was floored. Angela had told me and I had an inkling his feelings were changing, but I never expected a declaration tonight.

"Jake I do love you. I never want to hurt you, but you are going to have to give me some time. You've always been my Jakey, Jake. I haven't really ever thought of our relationship in those terms."

We continued walking along the shore. Jake sat back from the water and just stared out into the ocean. I was trying to figure out what I felt, and if I was brave enough to risk losing a lifelong friendship. Jake knew everything about me, all of my quirks, and he accepted me for them. I was scared to try a new phase to our relationship, but I also knew I was growing tired of waiting around for Prince Charming to ride up on his white charger to take me away. What if my "one" was a boy I had known my whole life. I could either take a chance at a lifetime of happiness or continue waiting and wasting my life away. I sat in the sand next to Jake, and taking his hand I looked at him.

"My main concern is possibly losing you. I can't lose your friendship Jake, but maybe we could start with a date, a real date."

The smile that lit his face made me gain more confidence in my decision to take a chance.

Jake stood up and pulled me into his embrace. "I'll make you happy Bella, so happy."

I smiled at him and said, "Yes, I believe you will Jake." The temperature was dropping, and I shivered.

"Come on, let's get you back. Thanks for giving _us_ a chance." He took me back to Tanya's and after a hug and a quick kiss on my cheek, he drove home.

I let myself into the house, trying to be quiet.

"You look like you had a good evening." I jumped when I heard Edward's voice.

"Yeah it was great. Jake was very careful while I was on the bike tonight. We just drove down to First Beach and talked."

Edward was sitting at the breakfast bar drinking a beer. I knew I wanted to talk to Tanya about everything that went on tonight, but thought perhaps Edward could help me understand where Jake is coming from.

"Can I ask you a question, Edward?" He laughed, "I think you just did."

I rolled my eyes at him. "If you had been friends with someone your entire life and that person admitted to being in love with you, but you had never considered the thought of having a romantic relationship with this person, would you consider trying to have a romantic relationship with them?"

Edward seemed frozen in thought. Then again maybe he was just trying to sort out what had word vomited out of my mouth.

"I think if I had doubts about my feelings for this friend, thinking I would never be able to fall in love with them, I wouldn't pursue a romantic relationship. However if I loved this friend and in my heart I thought it could develop into a lasting romantic love, then I would have to at least try. I would regret more passing up the chance at true love."

I stood up and thanked Edward for his help. "I really appreciate your thoughts. You gave me a lot to think about tonight."

He smiled and said, "Jake through you for a loop tonight, didn't he?"

"He's always been there for me. I do love him; I'm just not sure I can love him like he deserves to be loved."

"Get some sleep and talk with Tanya in the morning, maybe by then you'll have worked some things out yourself. Tanya won't lead you astray. Goodnight, Bella."

"Night Edward and thanks, again."

The next few days went by. I was receiving twice daily updates from Charlie. Mom was having a reaction to the pain medication, she was sleeping most of the day, but at least I got to speak with her each evening. Jake called a few times and we made plans to go visit my Mom Saturday afternoon, then go to dinner and the Classic Car Show in Port Angeles.

I was still scared about ruining our friendship, but Tanya did give me good advice about a possible consequence of not moving forward. She told me in trying to keep Jake in a platonic relationship, strictly friends, our relationship could still sour. Jake was in love with me, I know he said we would go with whatever I decided, but he'd never go back to just being a friend. It's possible he could grow to resent the fact that I couldn't love him the way he wanted.

If we were to try and then find out it didn't work for us, at least we would know, and could move on with our friendship. Always wondering because we didn't try had to be worse than taking a chance, right? So Jake and I talked and hung out, what we had always done, but now it had a new intensity and meaning to it.

Saturday at _SPARKLE_ was crazy. We had our regular customers but we also had a bridal party that came in from close to Olympia, determined to find jewelry for their gowns. Some of the bridesmaids were also determined to get Edward alone. I had to laugh at his disgruntled look when one of the braver girls tried to grope Edward's behind. Tanya looked up when I laughed, so I said, "I think your husband needs a rescue Tanya." Of course I did say it loud enough for the ass groper to hear. She jumped back from Edward like she had been electrocuted.

Edward mouthed "Thank you" to me and spent the rest of the afternoon hiding his behind, behind a counter. If someone asked him for something he could reach from where he was he called for me or Angela to help the customer.

Tanya took great pleasure from teasing her husband about his grope worthy delicious ass.

As annoying as the 10 women in the bridal party got, they made it all worthwhile. Three hours and $3,500 dollars later, we really needed to do some major restocking.

Jake arrived 10 minutes before we closed. Tanya greeted him then told me, "You can go ahead and get your things, Bella. We aren't going to finish restocking until Monday morning anyway. Give your parents my best, and just let yourself in when you get back."

I grabbed my purse and said a quick goodbye to everyone on my way outside. Jake took my purse, trading it for my helmet. Once ready I wrapped my arms around him and we headed towards Port Angeles. Forty-five minutes later we pulled into the parking lot at Olympic Medical Center. Jake took my helmet and handed me my purse. He ran his hand down my hair trying to smooth the helmet head I am sure I had. "I don't think I told you how pretty you look today, Bells." He took my hand leading me through the main entrance.

"I really hope Mom is feeling better, the pain medicine has been making her loopy."

Walking off the elevator, I was suddenly very nervous. I was trying to stay calm, but I knew I failed when Jake pulled me into the family waiting room, sitting down and pulling me onto his lap. "Bells, your Mom is doing fine. She's going to be home in a few days. Take a couple of deep breaths to help you calm down."

I wrapped my arms around Jake and pressed my face into his neck. I breathed in his scent, a combination of sun, ocean mist and motor oil. I calmed down almost immediately. "Sorry Jake, I guess it's all catching up to me now. Thanks for being here with me. I'm ok now, so let's go see Mom before visiting hours end."

We walked into the room and saw Charlie on the bed with Mom, sound asleep. Mom was watching television and looked over when we entered the room. "Shhhh let your dad sleep. He's been trying to sleep on the chair over there, but it's too uncomfortable and the stubborn man refuses to go home." She waved me closer. "How are you doing, baby girl?" I gave her a careful hug and kissed her cheek. "I'm great mom, just ready to have you home."

"And you, Jacob. How are things?"

Jake kissed Mom's cheek. "I'm good, Renee."

"You look so grown up, what are you two planning tonight?"

"We're going to the car show then I want to take Bella out for dinner. Before I forget, Dad sends you his love, and Tanya Cullen sends her best."

Oops I knew I had forgotten something, but Jake remembered like always.

Mom was in high spirits and told us they were giving her a much milder pain medication, so she had a much clearer head. She did say she was getting tired of the four walls she was stuck looking at, she wanted to be home surrounded by her own things.

Dad started snoring loudly, so Jake and I made our excuses to leave. We decided to walk over to the car show. There was a 1965 Mustang convertible that Jake was just drooling over.

"Jake you do realize that car is older than our fathers by almost 10 years."

"It's a classic, Bells, just beautiful." He smiled over at me and said, "Can't you imagine driving down to the beach in this, with the top down watching the sun set and the moon rise." Jake pulled me close. "I really want to try something."

He looked in my eyes as he lowered his head towards me, my own eyes closed as I felt the faintest brushing of his lips on mine. The kiss started soft and sweet, but quickly heated up as Jake pulled me closer to him. My body was flush with his and I could feel every, and I do mean every muscle in his body. I pulled back from the kiss, blushing and cleared my throat.

Jake just took my hand, looked into my eyes and asked, "Was that ok?"

I just looked at him, smiled and nodded my head. He had this goofy grin on his face.

We finished our time in Port Angeles at a Mexican restaurant sharing spicy salsa and chips, fajitas and enchiladas. Once we were back in Forks Jake walked me to the door pulled me into a hug and gave me a gentle kiss. After we said 'Good night', I let myself into the house and quietly made my way up to the guestroom. Edward was once again in the studio, so I knocked and poked my head in the door.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to let you know that I was back." Edward closed the piano cover and walked towards me.

"How is your mother feeling?"

"She's much better. Now that her pain medicine is working properly, she's ready to go home."

"That's good to hear. How did your date go?"

I smiled, "Jake and I had a nice time. I think we might be making some progress on the relationship front."

Edward smiled at that. "First love is a powerful thing."

"Oh I don't think we are there just yet, at least I'm not, but maybe it will happen. I'm going to head to bed, good night."

Edward passed me walking towards the stairs. "Good night Bella, sweet dreams."

That night my dreams were filled with eyes, laughing eyes, mischievous eyes, sad eyes, angry intense eyes, loving eyes. Each set of eyes were the most intense emerald green, with the exception of the last set of eyes, they were eyes filled with desire. Those eyes were deep dark green eyes that could see into your soul.

I bolted up in my bed, it was still the middle of the night and all I could think was

'I am in so much trouble.'

OoOoO

_**Please let me know what you think, leave a review.**_


	6. Chapter 6 A Conversation with Charlie

_**A/N: Ok I was going to tell you that the Charlie/Bella conversation was going to be pushed back one more chapter, but apparently Charlie had other ideas. He absolutely refused to shut up until I agreed to go ahead with their conversation. It's a short chapter, but it answers at least one important question.**_

_**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns it all; I own nothing, just borrowing her characters for my story. No Copyright infringement intended.**_

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 5

**A Conversation with Charlie**

_Present Day_

BPOV

I took a deep breath, trying to gather my courage to confess all of my mistakes to my father.

"Dad, have you noticed anything strange about Riley?"

Charlie gave me a concerned look. "What? What do you mean strange? He's a perfect little boy, Bella. Riley has your hair, your cute button nose, he's always happy and smiling, and he has your mother's green eyes." His eyes watered after mentioning Mom.

I took his hand and squeezed it.

"Riley _is_ perfect and I love him so much, but I see a lot of his father in him."

Charlie laughed at that comment. "Maybe it's in his personality, but there's not much of a resemblance to Jacob, baby girl. I do see a lot of you though."

This is what I had been so scared to do. I took a steadying breath and forced myself to say it slowly. "Dad, Riley is not Jake's son."

Silence

There was no sound to be heard in my father's living room. I realized I was holding my breath and forced myself to let it out and continue.

"Jake and I tried so hard in our marriage. I loved him, I still do love him, but I was _never_ in love with Jake. I tried to be a good wife and after we graduated from college we decided to try start a family. That was a last ditch effort to save the marriage. We tried for a year and it wasn't happening. Instead of bringing us closer together, it drove us further apart. Jake knew what he felt was stronger that what I could return to him and I hated that I couldn't love him the way he deserved. We were making each other miserable, so right before you called to tell me Mom was back in the hospital, Jake and I separated."

"Jesus, Bella, you never said anything to me. Did you talk about any of this with Renee?"

I shook my head, dropping my gaze. "No, with Mom's cancer coming back and spreading so quickly, I didn't want to add more stress to you both. Instead of moving out, I took a sabbatical from work and came home to help you and Mom."

Charlie looked so hurt and confused. "I still am not following you about Ry. You left after your mother's funeral and a month later you _and_ Jake called with the news you were pregnant. Jake was so happy about the baby, calling me Gramps and planning future fishing trips with the baby."

I couldn't look at Charlie any longer. "Jake was happy. He thought it was a sign. Finally we were pregnant and we could still be a family. He didn't know and I had just found out the father was involved with someone else. Jake was there every step of the way throughout the pregnancy and the birth. It was only after Riley was born that it all fell apart."

I could feel Charlie's disappointment in me, it radiated throughout the room.

"Jake was filling in the baby book. He wanted to make sure everything was listed just right so he went through the papers we brought home from the hospital. The pediatrician's nurse had sent us with a little booklet with our first appointment information. Jake came rushing over, as I put Riley in his cradle, he had the booklet from the nurse telling me they made a mistake at the hospital. That freaked me out until Jake showed me the vitals page where Riley's birth weight, length, and his blood type were listed."

Charlie was dragging his hands through his hair, looking like he was about to walk away.

"Jake was ready to take Riley down to the ER so they could re-type his blood. Jake and I are both O positive, and they had listed Riley's as AB negative. I knew it was time to tell him and pray that he would forgive me for lying to him and not hate Riley for it.

I could see the resemblance in Riley to his father and knew Jake would see it too someday. So I told Jake about the six weeks I spent in Seattle visiting Mom in the hospital, trying to give you a break. I told him about running into an old friend that was checking on Mom. I reminded him that we were separated at that time; we had even discussed how to go about starting divorce proceedings. I told Jake I was sorry for hurting him, but that it wasn't something we planned, I was in Seattle for you and Mom. I didn't make excuses for what I had done just apologized for hurting him, again.

Jake wanted to know why I had not told him before. He would have let me go so I could be with the father. I told him what a friend had told me about him moving on with his life, and that as much as I didn't want to hurt Jake I was selfish enough not to want to be a single parent. I was scared of doing it alone."

Charlie stood and started the room.

"Bells, I don't know what to say about all this. I'm not sure how to react. I do wish you had come to me about what you and Jake were going through in your marriage. I wish I could have been around for you after your mom died, while you were going through this."

"Please just tell me you don't hate me, Daddy." I was more afraid of Charlie rejecting me for all my mistakes than I was of his anger or disappointment in me.

Charlie took me in his arms, patting my back awkwardly. "I could never hate you, baby girl. I may not be happy with lies, but I am glad you came home and have told me the truth. Now I get to be able to help you when you need it. What are your plans now that you are back in Forks, Bells?"

"Well, I am going to see Rosalie and Emmett on Monday. I'm hoping to find an apartment or small house to rent. I also have to check in at the Forks Weekly, and set up my schedule. As for what I am going to do about Riley? I'm going to see his father and explain all this to him. I just hope he wants to include Ry in his life." My eyes watered at the thought that he wouldn't want any part of Riley.

Charlie looked me straight in the eye when he asked the one question I knew he'd been dying to ask.

"Who is it Bella? Who is Riley's father?"

I matched Charlie's gaze, but could only whisper the answer.

"Edward is, Edward Cullen."

OoOoO

_**Yeah well I told you it was short, but Charlie was too curious for his own good. There will be a few chapters going back to the past, a lot of explaining leading up to Riley.**_

_**Please let me hear from you, good or bad. Thanks for reading.**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Here we are again. Time moves a little faster here. We are only two chapters from present time, I think. Much love to ClaireS0904, Luv4Jake over on Twitter and **__**phoenix fan1 both here and on Twitter for getting the word out about my little story. **_

_**Some interesting things happen in this chapter so I'll let you get to it.**_

_**As always Stephenie Meyer owns it all, I am just borrowing the characters for my story. No copyright infringement intended.**_

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 6

_Senior Year_

I spent quite some time castigating myself over my dreams involving Edward. The morning after my date with Jake, I spent with Katie and Irina baking cookies and a cake for my parents. Every time Edward was in the vicinity I would blush, so not what I wanted to happen. Thankfully no one mentioned it.

Mom was released from the hospital Monday afternoon, so I was back home after thanking Tanya again for letting me stay with them. In the weeks leading up to the start of my senior year I divided my time between going with Mom to her radiation treatments, working at the store, and at least once a week Jake and I went out on an actual date. We'd spend time together at my house or his, but date nights were special, we'd find something we both wanted to do and go.

Mom was acting like she normally would; the only real side effect of the treatments was the burn she developed after her therapy. She was given an ointment and advised of how to treat the area where she would continue having bi weekly radiation for the next several months.

I went to Port Angeles shopping with Angela for our Back to School clothes and supplies. We both really only needed new jeans and shoes, Tanya loaded us up with Tanks, Tees, and sweaters to start. I was really happy that Ang and I worked together because it was really the only time we saw each other during the summer. We promised to work some girl time into our schedules.

Life was finally settling back to a normal pattern and I was really happy about that.

The first day of school Angela and I arrived early so we'd be able to check each other over making sure we walked into Senior Year looking the best we could.

There is just something about knowing there were only 180, no correction 179 more days until we were free from Forks High and all the stupidity that runs rampant in high school.

This year was going to be easy. I had AP English, AP Calculus and stupid PE, why it's required all 4 years I will never understand; I also had one period for study hall then would be released for work/study the last two periods. This was yet another reason I was glad to have gotten a job over the summer, I only have to be at school 4 hours a day.

I pulled into the parking lot just a space over from Ben and Angela. We squealed and acted like we were five until Ben cleared his throat and reminded us, while trying not to laugh, that we were supposed to be mature and set a good example for the freshmen. Yeah, not going to happen, we were too happy.

The only thing that soured my day was lunch. Mike plopped his butt in the chair next to me and started talking. "Bella, I didn't see you much after we talked in Weber's that day. How was your summer?"

"It was good, Mike. Mom is home, and work is good."

"So, do you want to go out with me Friday night? We can go to the movies. I think FACE PUNCH is still playing."

I glared at him. "You can't be serious, can you? What is it going to take for you to get it? You are dating JESSICA! I told you I didn't want to go out with you, besides I AM dating someone."

I took my lunch and moved to another table. Mike just sat there with his jaw hanging open. Angela and Ben sat with me. "Wow", Ben said, "you really shut him down. Why'd it take you so long to do that?"

I shook my head at him and said, "He spent so much time bugging me to death about going out I think I lost it a bit."

Angela and I were released after lunch and we headed over to _SPARKLE_. Angela had been teasing me relentlessly the last few weeks after I confessed about the dreams.

The teasing wasn't horrible and never meant in anything but fun. I'm just glad she always kept it just between us, and was quiet about it. It went from "Come on Bella, time to see Mr. McHottie" or "Sex on legs" to "Bella can you take this back to the DYLF." She would say the spelling didn't influence the pronunciation "You know he's a dad you'd like to…" she stopped that sentence after I threw a purse and hit her in the forehead.

Why is it the preachers' kids are always the ones to go _bad_?

Autumn passed quickly, and I settled into a routine of school, work, and Jake/home or home/Jake, with the occasional night of babysitting for Edward and Tanya.

Jake and I were still taking it slow. I know he got frustrated with me at times, but he said he understood and respected my wishes about taking our time. We had progressed to making out when we were alone, and sure we got carried away sometimes. Jake would try to push us a little further, but then he'd back off and be a patient boyfriend.

As Thanksgiving approached, Tanya asked me what the Swan plans were. I informed her that we were planning just a small family dinner like always. She then asked if we would join their family for Thanksgiving, apparently every Cullen would be there. Alice was home from The University of Texas, bringing her boyfriend, Edward's cousin Emmett, from Tennessee was bringing his fiancée, and Tanya's cousin Chelsea would be there as well. I told Tanya I would speak with my parents and that Jake really didn't do the "Thanksgiving thing", but I would ask him. Mom spoke with Tanya that night and confirmed we would be there, asking what we could bring with us. I promised to make the pumpkin, pecan and apple pies, Mom was going to bake a ham, for the non-turkey people, and Dad would bring the beer.

Jake wasn't sure if he would go, he didn't want to leave Billy alone since his sisters were with their in laws. Thanksgiving was a day he spent fishing with his father, just the two of them.

The day before Thanksgiving the pixie better known as Alice hit town. She rushed into the store dragging a poor man behind her. "Hey, girls!"

She grabbed both me and Angela into tight hugs. "This place just keeps getting better and better. How are you both? How is school? Been keeping busy? Oh, Bella, Tanya told me about your mom. I'm so happy she's doing better. We've got to get have some girl time while I'm here." All of this was said in what I think was one breath, after we got a chance to greet her, Alice turned to the man behind her. "Oh, forgive my manners. This is my boyfriend, Jasper. Jazz these girls are Bella Swan and Angela Weber. They came in the day of the blue paint incident. Remember it took forever to get it out of my hair."

I laughed because I had almost forgotten the way the paint had dripped all over her after she knocked the pan over trying to get to the door to let us in. Jasper tilted his head towards us, "Nice to meet y'all." He seemed so laid back, the perfect guy for Alice, she needed the calmness Jasper radiated.

"So Bella are my big brother and Tanya in the back?"

"Tanya is, but Edward went to get the girls from school."

Alice pulled Jasper into the back to visit with Tanya. Angela went back to preparing the store for the traditional Black Friday sale. Edward came back with the girls and after we told him that Alice and Jasper were there, Kate and Irina screamed "Aunt Ali", and ran to the back with Edward following.

The front door opened and a pretty woman walked in. I gave her the standard "How can I help you?" store greeting to which she responded, "I'm just looking."

She wandered the store as Angela and I worked, keeping an eye on her incase she needed assistance. Edward had come back to the front to bring more sale signs to us when I noticed the woman's head snap up and she made a bee line towards Edward. She threw her arms around him and planting quite the kiss on his mouth.

My jaw just dropped because I watched Edward return the hug and kiss he back. I was furious. His wife was just in the back room, one wall away, and he's kissing another woman? What the hell? Granted the kiss Edward gave the woman was a peck, but it's not right. I looked to Angela; she shrugged, so I cleared my throat getting Edward's attention.

He looked over at us and backed away from the woman, or should I say tried to back away. She wasn't letting go of him. "Bella, Angela, this is Chelsea, Tanya's cousin." Hmm, that could explain it I guess.

"Nice to meet you, Chelsea." She extended her arm to shake my hand, but her eyes never left Edward. Edward was trying to extract himself from her grip, but she'd trail a hand down his arm, touch his hand, she was worse than a clinging vine.

"Would you like me to get Tanya, Edward? You seem to be a little tangled up at the moment." With the mention of Tanya, Chelsea backed away from him. "Thanks Bella, I'm sure Tanya can't wait to see Chelsea, you could let Alice know as well." His eyes held my gaze as he mouthed 'Thanks' to me. I excused myself and got Tanya, sending her up to Edward.

Alice pulled me to the side so no one saw us. "What did she do?"

I looked at her, confused, "hmmm?"

"Chelsea, Bella. What did she do this time?"

I told Alice what Chelsea had done after she spotted Edward, basically attacking him.

"I keep telling him he needs to tell everything to Tanya. He doesn't want to hurt her, because Chelsea is the last real link Tanya has to her family, but Edward has been dodging her advances since college. It doesn't matter to her that he's married to Tanya or that they have children. She comes across as nice, but she will turn on you in a heartbeat." It was definitely going to be an interesting Thanksgiving.

Jake in the end, decided he'd rather spend the day fishing with Billy, but made me promise to save him some pie. I made an extra pie just for Jake and Billy.

We loaded everything in Mom's car and drove to the Cullen house. We were there by 12:30 so we could help get everything ready. Mom went into the kitchen with Tanya and Esme, Charlie and Edward's father, Carlisle were in the den drinking beer and watching football. I was with Kate and Irina in the living room making handprint turkeys when Edward walked in the front door, Chelsea right behind him.

He walked over to me, "Hey Bella, Happy Thanksgiving!" Edward gave me a hug whispering, "Help me, please!" I laughed and returned his "Happy Thanksgiving" then asked, "Girls, don't you think your daddy should make a turkey, too?"

They both nodded their heads getting Edward the supplies he would need. He smiled and sat on the floor between his daughters.

Chelsea did not seem happy about this. "Eddieeee", she whined, "I thought we could go for a walk outside."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Chelsea, how many times do I have to tell you it's _Edward_?"

She actually pouted her lip out. "Tanya calls you Eddie."

"Yes she does. Only Tanya can call me that, I hate the nickname, but I _love_ her. It's our thing."

Chelsea huffed and stomped off to the kitchen.

There was a loud knock to the door before it opened to reveal Jasper and Alice and two others in the entryway. A booming voice shook the house, "Happy Turkey Day, cuz!" Edward stood and embraced a giant of a man. The girls rushed to greet Alice and Jasper, and then jumped into the giant's arms.

I giggled at the girls, causing the "giant" to notice me. "Hmm, now who could this be?"

Edward made the introductions, "Bella this oaf is my cousin, Emmett McCarty. Em, this is Bella Swan, she works for Tanya and I babysitting the girls and also at the store, but she's more like family now. Her parents are around here too."

Emmett moved to the side and introduced me to his beautiful fiancée, Rosalie Hale. She looked like she had just walked off a runway, but was super sweet.

The living room was slowly filling up so I made my way to the kitchen to see if I could be of any help. Tanya put me to work mashing the potatoes while she asked about how things were with Jake.

By 1:30 everything was ready and we had all taken our seat at the table. It was a lively meal. My parents were enjoying themselves talking to Carlisle and Esme, while Emmett kept the younger crowd entertained. I learned that Rosalie had just gotten her Real Estate license and Emmett was finishing his master's degree in early childhood education. They were getting married in June and were looking to move close to this area during the summer. He wanted to get a job at either Forks Elementary or one of the Port Angeles schools. I could see Emmett being a very popular teacher with the students; he was like a big kid himself.

After dinner and dessert the women adjourned to the living room while the men took care of the dishes. Tanya and I put the leftovers away then went to play Candyland with Kate and Irina. One by one the men trickled back into the living room, complaining of too much food, every man but Edward. Chelsea had left the living room at some point, so I gathered the dirty cups that were on the coffee table and told Tanya I'd hand these to Edward and be right back. Alice excused herself from Rose, Jasper and Em, and followed behind me to the kitchen.

Edward had literally been cornered by Chelsea. She had him backed into the corner beside the refrigerator, where there was no escape unless he pushed her away.

"I've told you before, I don't know how many times, I am not interested, Chelsea. The only reason you are still allowed in my home is because I never want to hurt my wife by telling her that her cousin throwing herself at me. You are the last link to Tanya's parents. I didn't want to take that away from her, but I will if you don't stop this. I will not put up with you continuing to disrespect my wife. I am not doing this anymore, I will tell Tanya, and you will never be allowed near my family again."

Chelsea just sneered at Edward. "It's your word against mine, Edward. I can always tell Tanya that you propositioned me or better yet, that I caught you and the babysitter doing something you really shouldn't do. She's not even legal yet, is she?"

Shock flashed through Edward's eyes, then they narrowed and for the first time I saw a completely furious Edward. "You will not drag an innocent girl into your sick game. Bella is a good friend to my family. You keep pushing Chelsea, I really don't want to hurt T, but it would be worth it so we can be rid of you."

"She won't believe you. I've always been able to make Tanya believe whatever I have told her."

Alice spoke then. "Oh Chelsea, Tanya will believe Edward, especially after Bella and I relay this whole exchange, and I have years of accounts to tell her. Leave him alone, Chelsea. My brother is too much of a gentleman to hit you, but I have not problems whatsoever with making you hurt."

Whoa, Alice may be little, but she is mighty, she is fierce, and she can be very scary.

I looked at Edward and said, "Tanya is looking for you Edward, the girls want you to play a game. I'd advise against Candyland, they rock that game."

Chelsea stepped away from Edward, backing further away as he moved close to her.

"I think it's best if you tell Tanya that you are leaving early, like tonight. Don't you think so, Chelsea?" Edward gave her one last glance then motioned for Alice and I to lead the way back to the others. Edward went over to Tanya and the girls, while Alice and I sat on the floor with Jasper. We smiled at each other and giggles erupted.

"What's so funny, you two?" Alice and I tried to stop laughing, but we just couldn't.

I finally was able to get out, "Nothing, really nothing."

Chelsea left within the hour claiming there was an emergency back at work.

After the eventful Thanksgiving courtesy of Chelsea, Alice and I begged Edward to talk to Tanya bout it all. Chelsea had been making passes and becoming more aggressive in them for 7 years. I did think Tanya was going to be mad at Edward for not telling her, but knowing her it would pass quickly. Alice and Jasper took Kate and Irina out for the evening, so they could discuss it. My parents and I went home, and then I drove to Jake's house to give him his pie. Billy and Jacob had caught several fish, so after making Jake clean them I fried them up for their dinner. I didn't think I'd eat again for a week.

It was a great evening, and Jake and I took another walk on the beach before I had to leave. He told me to make sure Saturday night was free, because he had something planned. I was in the truck heading home after a long kiss goodbye.

Black Friday was actually not horrible. I'm used to people getting up in the early hours before dawn and waiting impatiently for stores to open. We opened early, but at a decent hour of 8:00, nothing crazy like 3 or 4 o'clock. We were busy, extremely busy as Tanya and Edward wanted to move the remaining Fall and Winter stock, so we could bring out the Spring fashions. The last customer left well after closing time, around 9 PM.

Edward had ordered dinner for all of us, and Carlisle brought it in, while we all collapsed.

Things seemed to be ok between Edward and Tanya. Angela nudged me to look at them. Tanya had rested her head against his shoulder, and they were whispering to each other. I had filled Angela in on the Chelsea incident during Thanksgiving dinner, she couldn't believe the gall that woman had.

Tanya looked at us and said, "Ali, Bells, thanks for your help yesterday and for getting this stubborn mule to talk to me about it. No need to worry about Cousin Chelsea again. I'll deal with her in my own way."

Alice was home with her parents in Seattle until the first week of January, so she invited Angela, Tanya and I for a spa day the following weekend. Ang and I squealed as we accepted.

Saturday I worked only half a day, we were restocking the shelves and trying to get things back in order. I drove home, showered quickly and dressed in jeans, a turtleneck, and a heavy sweater, then grabbing my jacket I headed to Jake's house. He met me at the door, hugged then kissed me as he was walking me backwards into the yard. He took my hand and led me over to where he had built a fire in the pit and laid out a picnic.

We ate a nice meal, talked and walked along the shore before we went back to the blanket by the fire to snuggle together. Jake was the perfect boyfriend. I was frustrated with myself for the pace we were going. I knew he wanted more, really wanted more, but I guess I had this idealized version of fireworks and electricity that was supposed to tell me that yes, this was right, that _we _were right. I just hadn't felt that yet.

I was home before my curfew that night, and decided I was going to take some time to really think about where I was, what I was doing, and where I wanted to go.

Christmas was fast approaching, and thanks to Alice's love for shopping I had finished my entire Christmas list. I managed with her help to find appropriate gifts for Edward and Tanya, the girls, my parents, Angela and a few other friends. Jacob was the hardest to buy for this year, but ended up getting him a new jacket for riding the motorcycle. We had cooled off for a bit, I asked him to give me a little time since the Christmas season was so crazy. He said he understood, but I'm not sure he believed I was telling him the whole truth.

I was done with first semester's finals, and school let out for two and a half weeks. I drove home, not having to work after school, and grabbed the mail. I had been hovering over the mailbox for a few weeks now waiting for the early admissions decisions.

I had in my hand two large envelopes and a packet from the Dean of Admissions, University of Washington.

Mom was in the living room folding laundry when I walked in.

"I think you should open this Mom, I'm a little scared."

I handed mom the packet from UW, then looked at the other large envelopes. One was NYU the other Stanford. Well I had wanted time to consider my future, now it was sitting in my hands. Stanford accepted me into their Humanities and Science program and NYU had accepted me into their Arts and Sciences undergraduate program.

Mom had opened the packet, and was speechless. She handed me the awards letter stating I had been given a full scholarship to UW, all expenses including, books, housing and meals provided for.

"Oh" that's all I could get out. I understood my mother's speechlessness. I would be able to go to college, graduate with my degree and not have to pay any student loans. As much as I wanted California, I couldn't turn my back on a free ride.

"I'm going to be a Husky!"

We squealed and danced around. Mom grabbed the phone to call my dad, told him to get home quickly. Charlie must have broken every traffic law to get home. "Renee!" He yelled running in the door. "What's wrong?" Mom laughed at Dad and wrapped her arms around him. "Nothing's wrong Charlie. Our Bella just got her acceptance letters, NYU and Stanford want her, but she got a full scholarship to UW. They are paying for everything!"

It was a celebratory night for the Swans. We kept things to ourselves for the night, but I got ambushed as soon as I walked into the store the next morning. Renee couldn't keep it to herself after all.

Angie was happy we were going to UW together, and she claimed her rights as BFF to be my roommate. Edward and Tanya were excited for me, both the scholarship, as well as the fact I'd be close. I think it made Mom and Dad happy that in an emergency Esme and Carlisle would be close until they could get there.

It seemed like everything was going well in my life. I was even ready to call Jake and tell him the good news. He had been worried about me being so far away. We decide to meet up at the diner and talk. I told him I'd be at UW with him and that Angela was ready to room with me. I told him I was ready to move forward with our relationship. This was where my life was headed.

You know how when everything is going so well in life somehow, someway, the rug gets pulled out from under your feet.

Yeah that's just what happened to me.

I was babysitting Kate and Irina so Edward could surprise Tanya with an early anniversary dinner in Olympia. They were going to stay the weekend so I was sleeping over for 3 nights. Edward had actually convinced Tanya to close the store for a four day weekend. They left Friday afternoon, telling the kids to behave and promising they'd call that night. We normally don't get a lot of snow here, but we do have sleet when its cold enough and that night ice built up enough to knock the power out for several hours. The kids were a little freaked, but I started a fire in the den and set up pallets on the floor, telling them we would be camping indoors.

Katie, Rini and I were deep into Junie B. Jones stories by Saturday afternoon, trying to keep ourselves occupied indoors. We baked cupcakes, sang silly songs and danced. We hadn't heard from Tanya the night before, but I figured with the power being out, she wouldn't be able to get through. I told the girls we would try calling them later, but that their Mommy and Daddy were having special alone time and we didn't want to disturb them too often.

I had just placed the kids' plates in front of them for dinner, when there was a knock on the door. I opened it to see my father standing there. "Hey Daddy, what's brought you out here. I told Mom the power was back and we were ok." I realized my father looked much older than he had just the day before, tired and sad. "Dad?"

"Bells…there's been an accident."

I almost dropped to the floor. "Mom?"

"No, the Cullens, Bella. It was Tanya and Edward."

OoOoO

_Don't hate me for leaving it there, but the next chapter will start bringing us closer to present time._

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	8. Chapter 8

**_Disclaimer - Stephenie Meyer owns everything relating to Twilight. I'm just borrowing her characters. No copyright infringement is intended._**

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 7

Aftermath

It was the last week of January, just over a month after the accident. Life was slowly getting back to normal for the people of Forks, Washington. After several weeks of bad weather it seemed Mother Nature was giving us a break.

Alice and Jasper had been back at school for two weeks and poor Jasper had to force Ali onto the plane. Esme had stayed at the house with the girls until last week, when in a fit of rage Edward told her to leave. That's not all he said to her, but no need to repeat the awful things either.

_Sparkle_ had been closed since the accident, and I wasn't sure it would reopen. I however was still employed even though I wanted to refuse the paycheck. It just wasn't right to be paid for helping friends or family. After many, many discussions with my parents and with the administration at the high school, I was moving in to the third floor guest room at the Cullen house. My mother understood my reasoning but Jake and Charlie were a different matter.

Jake had kind of been pushed to the back burner with everything that had happened. Let's just say he wasn't very happy about any of it. He knew I was loyal to the Cullens, and that Kate and Irina were special to me. He also knew that they needed me to take care of them. What he didn't understand was me moving in.

Charlie was in his protective Dad mode, like Mom and Jake he knew why I was helping, but he didn't like the fact that his 18 year old daughter was moving in to help take care of two young girls. He didn't think it was appropriate even though I was essentially the nanny now. I was Kate and Irina's new live in nanny. I would get them ready and then take them to Forks Elementary. My high school administration rearranged my second semester's classes so that study hall was first period and not required for me to attend just incase I ran late. I took my three required courses, ate lunch with Angela and Ben then left school. The girls didn't get out of class until 2 o'clock so I had time to shop for groceries or see my mother and father until it was time to collect them.

My biggest concern, as well as the concern of my parents, his parents and the rest of the family not to mention his daughters, was Edward. No one had been able to reach him. The accident had not only robbed the girls of their mother's presence in their life, but their father's as well.

The time right after Charlie had broken the news to me about Tanya and Edward's accident seems so blurry to me. It was like I was on autopilot. Kate and Irina had been eating dinner when Charlie came to the house; after he left I sent them upstairs to play in their playroom before bath time. I straightened up putting things away. I could hear the girls laughing upstairs, my heart breaking for them. I was remembering what Charlie has told me about the accident.

_Tanya and Edward had not even made it to their hotel. They had apparently come upon a minor accident and as Edward swerved to avoid it, they hit an icy patch of road and lost control. The car rolled, Edward was found still bound by his seatbelt. Tanya must not have been wearing hers as she was halfway out of the car when the medics arrived._

_Tanya was medevaced to_ _Harborview Trauma Center in Seattle, while Edward, suffering minor injuries including a broken arm and possible concussion was transported to Olympia for assessment. Dad informed me that Carlisle was supposed to be heading over to get the girls and head back to Seattle. Edward had been treated and was already with his mother and Alice at Harborview._

Carlisle did call. just as I finished bathing the girls and getting them ready for bed.

"Bella, it's Carlisle."

"How are they doing?" I heard the sounds of a motor starting in the background, he must be leaving now, followed by a sigh. "Edward is doing as well as expected. He's walking fine, but so worried. Tanya was really damaged in the accident and honestly the doctors aren't sure if she'll make it through. She's in surgery now so I am on my way there to get Katie and Rini. Would you please pack them some clothing for a few days maybe a couple of books and coloring books? Edward wants them with us, but they won't be allowed back in the ICU. It's going to be rough until we hear she's out of surgery."

I had already grabbed a couple of overnight bags from the hall closet to start packing. "I'll get there things together. I haven't said anything to them, I just didn't know how."

"I'll tell them when I get there. I do hate to run in and out on you there, but I'm sure you understand."

"Don't worry about me. I'll make sure everything is secure and I'll lock up after you leave."

The girls were occupied in the playroom while I packed everything they would need for a few days. I then gathered my own things and had everything by the front door before asking the girls to pick out a few coloring books and two reading books each. Those went into a tote bag that they could take with them to the hospital.

"Girls, lets go down to the den, ok. I'll let you watch Dora on Tivo, and you can sleep on the sofa. Your Grandpa Carlisle is coming to pick you up and take you to Seattle tonight."

They squealed, happy that they got to see their grandparents. Again my heart was breaking for them and I prayed that Tanya would be alright. I just didn't know what would happen if she wasn't.

Carlisle arrived around 9:30 that night. "Are you sure you'll be ok to drive to Seattle? You won't get in until almost 1AM."

"We'll be fine. I will call you with news once there is some. Girls come give Grandpa a hug. We've got to go soon, but I need to tell you something first." He proceeded to give them a glazed over version just letting them know that their parents had been in an accident, and that Tanya was having an operation to help fix her.

I hugged the girls, helping them get settled in the back seat with blankets and pillows to help make sleeping sitting up more comfortable. "Be good for Grandpa girls and give everyone a hug from me. Carlisle please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you all." He nodded telling me he would call. I got my own bag and turned everything off in the house save for one small lamp on the foyer table. I set the alarm and locked the door before getting into my truck and heading home to my parents.

Mom was beside herself with worry. I made a couple of calls to Angela and Jake letting them know what had happened. Angela told me her mother was going to put a notice on the door of _Sparkle_, letting everyone know the store would be closed until further notice. Mom was telling me that if we had not heard from anyone with an update we would go to Seattle to visit on Monday morning. I didn't really sleep Saturday night, too much had happened. There was so much to think about, worry about. I prayed over and over for a miracle for Tanya.

Just before noon on Sunday, my phone rang. "Hello?"

"Bella? It's Esme, dear, how are you?"

"I'm fine, but how are you? How are Tanya and Edward doing? Are the girls ok?"

"I'm tired, but coping. Edward is actually physically ok, his left arm is broken but he didn't have anything else more serious than some soreness, cuts and bruising. Tanya is not doing well dear. She came out of surgery again this morning. The doctors were able to stop her internal bleeding, but she's really not stable. She has not regained consciousness since the accident. Edward is with her in ICU, he won't leave her. I was actually calling to see if you would mind coming to Seattle. The girls keep asking for you, Edward only saw them for a minute, he's too distracted by Tanya to be Daddy right now. I'm having a hard time keeping them occupied, a hospital waiting room is not really a place for young children."

I was already rushing around my room getting things together. "My parents will drive me over, Esme. I'll be there later this afternoon." I yelled downstairs to my mother. "Mom, can you and Dad drive me to Seattle. Esme asked if I could help with the girls."

Renee walked into my room asking, "How is Tanya? Are she and Edward alright?"

I shook my head at her. "Edward is, but Tanya is in really bad shape. Carlisle told me yesterday they weren't sure she'd make it. She's in ICU now."

Mom called my dad and told him what was going on. He had been fishing with Billy, but came home, changed and after they each had clothes for the next day, we headed out to Seattle. I was able to sleep some in the car, Charlie waking me as we were approaching the hospital. They were planning on staying the night at a hotel nearby and driving back to Forks in the morning. I sent a text to Esme that we had arrived and were on the way up. She met us at the elevator giving me a quick hug and greeting my parents before leading us to the family waiting area. Katie and Rini attached themselves to my legs while I said hello to Alice, Jasper and Carlisle. Carlisle said "They are only allowing one other person back there at a time. I arranged for Edward to be able to stay in there with her. Esme will take you to be checked in at the nurses' station if you want to see her."

I nodded then bent down to the girls telling them I would be back in a little while.

Mom and Dad went to get drinks and food to bring up for everyone as Esme led me to the doors to enter the ICU.

"It's not good, Bella, she's not going to pull through. We've all been trying to hold it together in front of Kate and Irina. Edward hasn't been out of that room all day, he wont respond to anyone that goes in there, he just holds her hand. He needs to eat something. Will you try to get him to come out, if just for 10 minutes?" I told her I would try my best.

I was buzzed through the doors and followed Esme's directions to Tanya's room.

As I walked I glimpsed Edward sitting beside the bed. I knocked gently and entered the room. Tanya was lying peacefully on the bed. Her head wrapped in gauze, tubing coming from all over her body hooked to various machines behind the bed. Edward made no noise or movement, anything that showed he was aware of my presence in the room. I took Tanya's other hand. I couldn't believe she wouldn't be around any longer.

"The doctors have said she has no brain activity."

Edward's gravelly voice startled me. "They want me to allow them to take her off life support so they can harvest her organs for donation." He was dry sobbing now saying, "How am I supposed to do something like that?"

I squeezed Tanya's hand, hoping somehow she knew I was there with her then walked over to Edward. I already had tears flowing down my face from his news, but Edward seemed so broken. I stood behind him placing my hand on his uninjured arm. Nothing else was spoken for a while. "Thank you for being here, Bella. Tanya will be happy to know you care enough to be here." He stood and pulled me into a hug. I could feel his body shaking with his sobs. I was trying to be careful of his injuries as I pulled him closer. "Of course I care. Tanya has been a second mother to me. Your family is now an extension of my own and anything that I can do to help, I will. Esme asked me to help with the Kate and Irina and I wanted to check on both of you as well."

I stayed with Edward watching over Tanya for almost an hour. I knew Carlisle has heard the prognosis by now, and I really wanted to get Edward out to his parents. "Your mother is worrying herself sick over you. She wants you to get something to eat and be with the family just a little while." I pulled him with me back to the waiting room. Esme pulled Edward in for a hug while I prepared a plate with a sandwich and fruit for him. He was like a zombie, barely reacting to anything. I sat him in the corner and gave him his food. Esme told him he needed to eat and rest. Kate and Irina had fallen asleep on one of the sofas in the room. Everyone seemed to be waiting for the discussion to start.

"Esme please get them to back off. Edward isn't holding it together, he's barely moving. He just found out the love of life is only alive due to the machines and that she will never come back to him."

Carlisle sat beside Edward, just offering his support.

Jasper offered to drive me with the girls to Esme's house. Just as the words left his mouth, Edward negated them. "No, the girls need to go say goodbye to Tanya. Dad, they have to let them back for that right? They need to know that she's not going to get better, but how?" Esme traded places with Carlisle, while he went to make arrangements with the nurses on duty and call Tanya's doctor with the news that Edward seemed to have made a decision.

I sat with just my thoughts on the floor between the girls brushing their hair off their faces, trying to wake them as gently as I could.

"Hey sweet girls, did you have a nice nap? It's time to get up."

Edward took the girls, Esme, and Carlisle into another room to meet with a chaplain. Hoping the chaplain could help explain that their mother was dying, but would always be with them. I still just couldn't believe it and that it was happening at what was supposed to be a joyful time of year.

I excused myself and went outside to call my parents and then Jake, telling them that the decision had been made and Tanya's time was short. Mom asked if I wanted them to come back to the hospital, I told her no, that I would be leaving for Esme's house with the girls soon.

I heard the crying when I walked back to the waiting room. It sounded like Alice and Esme, but deeper cries were heard as well.

I felt out of place witnessing the grief of such a loving family. I helped the only way I knew to. I wrapped my arms around the girls, and just tried to be there to help. Edward told me they had already kissed Tanya goodbye, told her they loved her. I wanted to say my own goodbyes so I walked back. I told Tanya how much she meant to me, how my life was so much better for having known her. I was always going to remember her loving nature.

After everyone had said goodbye, Edward was back in the room along with his father and a nurse, the life support was disconnected and her heart monitor was silenced.

We all stood in the hallway just outside of the ICU doors, and knew because of Edward's wail that Tanya Denali Cullen had passed into the Great Beyond.

Tanya passed the week prior to Christmas and was buried December 26. She was laid to rest in the Forks Cemetery so that she would always be close to her husband and children.

Kate and Irina stood beside their father dropping red roses into the gravesite as her casket was lowered.

Esme moved in with Edward and the girls, I tried to spend as much time with Kate and Irina as I could. I wanted to keep them busy, occupied with art and games. The girls wanted their father however, and poor Edward, he wasn't really there. Edward was in his room or in the studio, but he wouldn't speak, he didn't sleep, barely ate. The decision to close the store indefinitely had been made without Edward. Alice was going to have to go back to school, she was due to graduate after the next semester, and Esme was not going to let her delay that. Esme had no interest in the store and it was impossible for just Angela and I to run the store. Esme placed a notice in the paper announcing the closing of the store, explaining that a reopening date was not known at the time.

I tried reaching out to Edward, but he was locked inside his own memories. Esme finally lost her cool with him though and pushed him a little too hard and too far. Edward reacted by screaming horribly hurtful things to his mother, ending it by telling her to leave. She spoke to Carlisle about taking guardianship of the girls and transferring them back to Seattle schools. Edward told her in no uncertain terms that _his daughters_ would remain in Forks with him. The only way Carlisle would go along with Edward was if he hired a helper to mind the girls until he could get back on his feet. Edward agreed and mentioned hiring me to take care of the girls before and after school.

So the plan had been hatched and the discussions had started. Charlie thought it was too much pressure to put on my young shoulders, Esme agreed, but after I spoke, saying I could handle it, she said that she thought I would be a great help. All of my 'duties' were discussed, every concern spoken and covered. They wanted me to move in, at least temporarily, to the house. Charlie and Carlisle put in a call to my principal explaining the dilemma, asking if my schedule could be rearranged so that I wouldn't miss my first class. Mr. Green was very understanding; he offered to switch AP English with my study hall, and on the days I was running late I wouldn't be penalized if I missed the study period.

I found myself trying to convince Jake that this wasn't a terrible idea. We'd have to sacrifice some of our time together just for a little while.

"Bells I don't like this. You shouldn't be living in a house with a man. I don't care if he just lost his wife that's even more of a reason for you not to do this."

I stared at Jacob. "What? Jake I am there just to help with errands, taking the girls to school, cooking. That is all. Edward is a friend I'm doing this to help him also because Tanya cant do it herself. Close your eyes, imagine it's us, say 10 years from now we have two children and something happens to me. What if I die and you are alone I know I'd want you to accept all the help you could get. Now what if you were the one to die and I was really alone with the children, wouldn't you want someone to help me if they could.

I know you would Jake. It's the way you are. Your heart is as big as the state of Washington. I need to do this. You can come over to the house and we will still talk on the phone. Just give me a few weeks to get us all settled into a schedule, and we can even go on dates again." I gave Jake a hug and pulled him down for a kiss. "It wont be forever, Jake, I promise."

I hoped I would be able to help the Cullens with their grief, but I would settle for making sure Kate and Irina were taken care of.

OoOoO

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	9. Chapter 9

_**Ok, sorry this chapter took so long, but it got away from me. I ended up breaking the chapter into two because it would have been monstrously long.**_

_**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything Twilight related; I am just borrowing her characters for my story. No copyright infringement intended.**_

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 8

The first week of February breezed in bringing reinforcements of the Cullen variety. I was able to handle school, taking care of Kate and Irina, cooking and cleaning up with no real problems. It was what I had done when I babysat over weekends before, just doing it seven days a week now.

The girls were seeing a child psychologist once a week to help them deal with their grief. Understandably they were sad, they missed their mom, they missed their father, but routine was helping them cope.

Esme and Carlisle visited every weekend for the first couple of months. They took the girls out and give me time to spend with Jake and my friends. Jake had come over to the house for dinner a few times. Kate and Irina loved him, especially because he would allow them to rope him into playing games. Edward would eat with us, saying nothing, and then go back to his studio.

The first weekend in February, Carlisle and Esme arrived with another couple in tow.

"Bella, how are you sweetheart?" Esme gave me a hug then dropped to the ground as the girls rushed her.

"Fine, Esme. The girls seem to be processing everything well. Maggie is helping them so much. Kate and Irina are playing with their friends, laughing again. No real change with Edward though. The only thing new is he's eating with us for breakfast and dinner."

Esme looked towards the house saying, "We've brought a couple of friends to help. My son needs to open up and talk to someone. Siobhan and Liam are here to help." Carlisle had gone into the house, into Edward's room. I couldn't hear what was being said, but I definitely could hear the raised voices.

"Bella go enjoy your day. I'm taking the girls to the zoo while Carlisle stays behind with Liam and Siobhan." Esme was already gathering coats for Kate and Irina. I told them goodbye then quickly and quietly I edged to Edward's room telling both Edward and Carlisle I was leaving, but would be back late in the afternoon.

After spending quality time with my mother baking enough cookies to fill Dad's office, I headed back to the Cullen house. I was shocked by what met me entering the house. It looked as if a tornado had gone through the lower level of the house.

"Edward?" I called out. Things had been smashed, ripped and destroyed. Furniture was turned over, papers strewn everywhere.

"Edward, Carlisle?"

I walked into the kitchen, which thankfully had been spared the destruction. "Edward where are you?"

I looked outside and saw Carlisle with his arms wrapped around Edward, speaking to him. Liam and Siobhan were speaking as well. I figured whatever had happened, that Edward must have been responsible for the destruction in the two rooms. I put my things down, grabbed the broom and a box of trash bags, planning to start the cleanup.

"Don't," Edward said, "I made the mess, and I'll clean it up." He was a mess himself, his hair was all over the place, his shirt and jeans both ripped, his hands were bruised and swollen.

"What happened in here?" I asked gesturing to the debris that lay everywhere. Edward chuckled, "I think it's safe to say I got angry today. I really hoped I would have this cleaned up before any of you came back. I didn't want this to scare you."

"It's too late for me, but let me help and we'll get it straightened out before Kate and Irina get back."

The broken glass was the first to be dealt with. I swept up what I could then passed the vacuum to make sure there weren't any small shards to get caught in little feet. What pictures that could be salvaged were in a stack needing to be reframed. Edward righted the furniture returning it all to their proper places. All of the trash was collected and Edward took it to the garage.

Carlisle approached me while I was starting dinner. "I think the therapy is really going to help him. He finally exploded. All of his pent up sorrow and aggression came out."

I just gave him and incredulous look. "And you let him destroy his house. He lost things today that he'll never be able to get back, pieces of his life with Tanya."

"He needed it. Today was his first step in moving forward. Bella, you've been so great helping with the girls, but you graduate in a few months and will be leaving for college at the end of summer. Edward has to start coping with his loss, or Esme and I will have no choice but to take guardianship of our granddaughters. That would be what finishes him off. I want my son back, but in order for him to heal today _had_ to happen."

The sound of a throat clearing had us both turning towards the doorway. "I'm going to make the effort to be present in my life now, Dad. I know you and Mom are worried, but I will take care of Katie and Rini. Tanya would want them to always come first, and if she were here now, she'd kick my ass for checking out on them as well as life in general."

That night a feeling of peacefulness settled over the Cullen household. Esme returned with the girls just as dinner was ready. After eating, Edward took the girls up for baths and bedtime stories. Esme and Carlisle took glasses of wine and sat by the fire, talking about the events of the day, and I took a bottle of water, the book I was reading and went up to my room. Kate and Irina ran up to say good night and to tell me that their daddy was tucking them in.

I was deep into Stephen King's _The Skeleton Crew_, when a knock on the door had me jumping out of my skin.

"Bella, may I come in?" Edward asked. I quickly made sure I was decent before telling him to come in.

"Hey, are the girls ok?" He moved into my room and sat on the far edge of the bed. "They've been out for a couple of hours now. I was just heading into the studio when I saw your light was still on." He shifted into a more comfortable position on the bed . "I really just wanted to thank you for stepping up and taking care of Rini and Kate, when I really couldn't. I know that we've always been able to count on you, but this has been above and beyond. You just don't know how much it means to me, how much it would've meant to T-Tanya." His voice cracking on her name broke my heart.

"There is no way I could have not done it, Edward. You needed the girls here and I was used to staying with them. Besides, Kate and Irina mean the world to me and I wanted to help however I could. I miss her so much sometimes, but I know if I'm feeling that much sadness it's a million times more so for you and the girls."

I got up to put my book away and then I walked around the bed to Edward. "I'll help you for as long as I can, Edward. You and your girls will be alright eventually and until then you have to remember you have your family and friends to lean on." I wrapped my arms around him, just giving him a hug. He stood and returned the hug before saying, "I'm going to practice for a while before going to bed. Goodnight, Bella, pleasant dreams."

OoOoOoO

Each day that passed was a little lighter for the girls as well as their father. Jake was excited because I had more free time to spend with him, though I found myself wanting to spend that time not with Jake, but with the Cullens.

Alice visited for a few days during her Spring Break. She dragged both Angela and I to the spa in Port Angeles for some girl time. Prom was coming up the last week in April, and everyone was insisting I go, that 'It's an important right of passage'. Jake wanted to take me to the prom as the Res school wasn't holding one.

We spent hours after the spa shopping for dresses, shoes, accessories. I finally found a pretty silver sheath dress that fell to the floor. I loved it. I had caved, I was attending my prom. I was looking at it as our last big hoorah with our friends before graduation.

The day of the prom, I spent at the salon getting my hair, makeup and nails done before going back to the house to get dressed. Kate and Irina were sprawled across my bed while I was putting my dress on. They were bouncing around laughing and having fun, reminding me a lot of their Aunt Alice. There was a brief knock on my door before it slowly opened. "Is everyone dressed in there?" "Yes," the girls giggled.

Edward poked his head in. "Good you haven't put your jewelry on yet. I've got something for you." Edward said as he walked in the room, handing me a box. "I know Alice already found something for you to wear, but I am hoping you wear this instead."

I opened the box to find a simple but beautiful heart shaped diamond pendant on a white gold chain.

"It belonged to my grandmother."

"Edward, I can't take this. It's too precious to you." He shook his head and took the necklace opening the clasp. "A pretty necklace deserves to be worn by a beautiful girl, not locked away gathering dust." He motioned for me to move my hair and fastened it around my neck. "Thank you," I said touching the pendant. "I promise to take good care of it." I slipped the earrings into my ears then gave a pageant twirl asking, "So how do I look?"

Kate and Irina told me I was as pretty as Belle from _Beauty and the Beast_. Edward looked at me then simply said, "Lovely."

Jake was picking me up before driving us to my parents' house for pictures. Prom night seemed endless, from pictures with Mom and Dad, to dinner at The Lodge, then more pictures outside the gymnasium before we could even enter the prom.

I have to admit, once we were in the dance surrounded by friends I did have some fun. Jake was a perfect date as usual, I was never thirsty. He kept the punch flowing in between dances. I was feeling lighter and freer as the night progressed. I was starting to get sleepy and stumble the later it got. I remember Angela telling Jake he had better take me home, but not much after that.

When I woke up there were a few things I noticed right away. First, I had a massive headache and my mouth felt like I had swallowed a cotton ball. Second, I wasn't in my bed, either of them. Lastly I realized I wasn't alone in bed. I turned my head to see Jacob lying beside me, naked. I bolted up, not caring that I was equally naked, and ran towards the bathroom.

'_Oh no. no. no. no'_

My retching must have disturbed Jake and he sleepily called out "You ok, Bells?"

"Uh huh" I managed.

I couldn't believe it. This is not how I imagined losing my virginity to be. I really wanted to remember it. What on Earth had been in that punch? I was rinsing out my mouth when I finally looked in the mirror.

It was obvious we had done something last night. My lips were swollen, my hair was like a haystack, and there were faint bruises dotting my body from my neck down. Hickeys?

I was also very sore, and not just from the hangover. I found a towel and gingerly climbed into the shower to wash away the blood that was there on my legs. I tried so hard not to cry. '_This wasn't how it was supposed to be!'_

I turned off the water and wrapped myself in the towel. "Jake, Jake wake up. I have to get home. Wake up." I pulled on my clothes from the night before, pulled my hair into a ponytail, and gathered the rest of my things. "Jake!" He rolled over, but didn't wake. That's when I saw the necklace Edward had loaned me. The chain was broken, but thankfully the pendant was still on it. I picked it up and placed it in my clutch before grabbing my cell phone. The display noted the time as just before 5 AM. Who could I call? I left the room with Jake still sleeping. I leaned against the wall in the hallway debating who to call. I was scared to call my dad. He'd know immediately what had happened; calling mom would be the same as calling my dad. Esme was at the house staying the weekend, so gathering my courage I dialed the only person I wanted to come get me.

Two rings of the cell phone later, "Hello?" his sleepy voice asked.

"Ed- Edward," I cried, "Can you come and get me?" I looked around, realizing I didn't know where I was. I followed the signs towards the lobby.

"Bella, honey what's wrong?"

"I'm not sure where I am. Jake won't wake up, my head hurts and I just want to go home." I cried out the last words.

"Tell me where you are and I will be right there." I walked into the lobby. "The Days Inn, in Port Angeles, please hurry." I just wanted away from the motel and back to the safety and security of the Cullen house. "I'm on my way, Bella. Stay in the lobby, I'll be there as soon as I can."

I knew it would take him close to an hour to get here, so I found a chair close to the door. I was going to have to find a jeweler to hopefully repair the chain or buy a replacement. I don't know how it got broken. I kept trying to remember what happened after the prom, but there is nothing. I do remember Angela asking me about the necklace as we all took a break at a table. I remember saying something about it being Edward's grandmother's.

I hope someone can tell me what was in the punch because I didn't taste anything off about it. I was waiting for Edward to pick me up when Jake, dressed only in his suit pants walked over to me. "What's going on Bella? Why are you out here?" He moved closer to me, so I got up and backed away. "I'm waiting for my ride. I didn't know where I was and I have to get home."

Jake looked confused. "Bella, baby, you were with me when we checked in."

"Jake I don't remember much of anything about last night. I freaked out this morning. I don't want what happened to be true. I wanted to be able to remember my first time, instead I have a headache, my entire body is sore, and I can't remember any of it." Tears were spilling down my face. Jake shifted towards me, only to back up, asking, "What is _he_ doing here?"

I looked over towards the lobby door. Edward was walking quickly towards us. "I called him, Jake."

"Running off to your precious Edward, huh? Typical." I was about to ask what he meant by that when Edward took me in his arms. "Are you ok?" I nodded my head against his shoulder. "Can you please take me home?"

"Bells…" Jake started. "Later Jake, we'll talk later."

Edward glared at Jacob before leading me out to his car. The silence of the dive was only broken once we had left Port Angeles. "What happened, Bella? Did he hurt you? Should I take you to the ER?"

I broke down telling him what I remembered. "We were at the prom and having fun, and then I woke up with a headache and a dry mouth not really remembering anything."

Edward's jaw tightened. "Did he...did he force himself on you?"

I shook my head, "I don't think so. I'm pretty sure someone spiked the punch and maybe we both had too much. I just can't remember." I cried all the way back to the house.

Thankfully the girls were still asleep, so I went upstairs and changed into one of my Dad's t-shirts before climbing into bed. Edward checked on me often, during the day. Jake called my cell phone constantly until I turned it off. Esme brought me a late lunch and spent time talking to me about what happened, what I remember, what I was feeling. I knew in my heart Jake didn't force me to sleep with him, but I could help being mad at the whole situation.

Later that night, I was having a horrible nightmare. I knew I was just dreaming, but I couldn't seem to wake myself up. I was suddenly surrounded by warmth, and I knew I was safe. _"Shhh, Bella, shhhh. It's just a dream."_ I heard Edward speaking to me and knew I was safe in his embrace. I turned in his arms and hugged him back, kissing his chest right above his heart before drifting off to sleep again.

When I woke the following morning I felt better, happier in my own skin. I called my parents and let them know I was fine and did have fun at the dance. I left out everything that happened after. There was no need for Charlie to have to arrest himself for murdering Jake.

I got dressed and went downstairs to greet the girls. Katie was her normal bubbly self, but Irina was quiet and barely gave me a "morning". Esme and Carlisle were getting ready to leave when Irina ran to her grandmother begging, "Grandma can I go home with you?"

Esme smiled at her, but shook her head. "I would love for you to visit, angel, but you have school. Maybe Daddy will bring you when school is out for the summer."

Irina wrapped her arms around Esme's leg wailing, "NOOO. Take me, please! I don't want to be here anymore." I was trying to get her to calm down and let go, but she only got louder when I was near her so I went to find Edward and Carlisle. Edward had to pry Irina's arms from his mother's leg. Rini was kicking and screaming at her father. I had never seen either of the girls pitch such a fit.

She screamed that her daddy didn't love her anymore and that she wanted her Grandma and Grandpa. Carlisle took her from Edward and she immediately calmed down. He walked her to the sofa and sat down with her. "Rini, tell Grandpa what's wrong. Why would you say that your Daddy doesn't love you anymore?"

I was shocked and Edward looked as if a breeze would blow him over. Kate was hugging my waist just staring at her sister. "I saw Daddy in Bella's room this morning. I gots up early and wanted Bella to play a game with me," I thought back remembering my dream; I guess I wasn't dreaming that Edward was there.

"Daddy was getting up so I ran back to my room. I don't want Bella to be my new mommy, I want MY mommy." Carlisle and Esme looked at the two of us. Edward walked over and knelt down on the carpet in front of Irina.

"Rini, baby, you aren't getting a new mommy. Bella had a really bad dream last night and was crying. That's why I was there. I was just trying to soothe her, like I do for you and Katie if you have bad dreams. I just fell asleep, that's all baby. Bella is just a friend; no one could ever replace your mommy."

"Rini," I called to her. "I'm not going to be your mommy. I'm your Bella and I never want to hurt you. Your daddy really wants you here, so please don't leave him. If it will make you feel better, I can go home." Kate cried at this point, "No, please Bella, stay. Don't leave me too."

I wasn't sure what to do. I did hug Kate closer to me. Carlisle and Esme excused themselves from the conversation as Irina had calmed down and was speaking to Edward.

I sat with Kate on the sofa opposite Edward and Irina. I looked to him for direction on this problem.

"Ok let's start at the beginning girls." Edward began, "You now how much Bella means to you both, right? Well Bella is my friend, too. She needed help yesterday and asked me to help her. Last night, while I was playing the piano in the studio I heard Bella having a very bad dream." He looked at his hands as if trying to organize his thoughts. "I tried to wake her up, but she didn't, so I gave her a hug and spoke to her until she calmed down. I haven't been sleeping much since your mommy passed, and I fell asleep. That is all. As much as I love Bella as a friend, she's not going to be your mommy. It's just us, you know, the three musketeers. Now Irina, I want you to apologize to Bella for screaming at her this morning, then I want us to all get ready, we are going out for breakfast."

I felt like I had been on a roller coaster of emotions, like I was in some crazy world created by Tim Burton. I kept waiting for my "normal life" to return, but knew that wasn't likely to happen.

Breakfast was strained. Rini wouldn't look at me and Edward was being extremely civil, but cold towards me. This was a side of Edward I had never been a witness to, even when he was out of his mind with grief, I had never felt like he was detached. That was how it was, at least with me. When we were back at the house he was happy and open around the girls, but closed off with me. That was the way things were around the Cullen house for two weeks. I understood Edward was trying to reassure Irina, but between her coolness and Edward's detached politeness I was really only able to take care of Katie.

The next week would be my last finals of my senior year. I was unable to concentrate enough to study for the exams, which is why I was standing outside Edward's studio door late Sunday afternoon. I knocked then waited for him to acknowledge me.

He opened the door, looking pensive. "May I speak to you for a moment?" Edward walked back into the room nodding to a chair, "Sure. What's going on?"

I looked at him, keeping eye contact while I started. "That's what I want to know, actually. Since the day after prom, the only person that seems happy I am here is Kate. Irina acts like I'm not here half the time and I feel like a stranger around you. I have finals this week, and cannot concentrate here. I would like to have the rest of the week off so I can study."

Edward actually squirmed in his chair. "I'm sorry Bella. Irina has been so concerned about Tanya being replaced, that she's glued herself to me whenever you are around. I spoke to Maggie about it, but all she tells me is to reassure Irina of my love for her, that I'm not trying to replace her mother. Katie loves you so freely, Irina feels guilty about her love, and she does love you, but she feels like if she depends on you it's like forgetting her mom."

I nodded to Edward, understanding where he was coming from, but still it hurt to hear. "Perhaps my going home is a good thing after all."

Edward looked up at me then saying, "You have helped bring us back. You've kept my girls happy and healthy until I could do it again. Take the week, concentrate on school, we'll be fine. Go, pass your exams so that you can graduate."

"Why, Edward? Why did you suddenly start treating me like a stranger? From the first day it always felt like family with you and Tanya, especially after Prom, you were there when I needed you. Then Irina had her outburst and it felt like you put a 50 foot wall between us." He stood and started to pace the room.

"I don't know, Bella. It's always felt like you belonged in our family. You are family to me, but I crossed a line. I never should have fallen asleep in your bed. I shouldn't have been in there to begin with. You were screaming, so horribly, and no matter how I tried I couldn't wake you, so I crawled behind you and held you until you settled. It wasn't right of me to be there. You are such a light in this house, Bella, and it reminds me of happier times. You have no idea how much you mean to me, how your presence in the house soothes the girls. After Rini had her blow up all I wanted was to make her understand that my love for her and for Kate won't ever lessen, that they will always be my number one priority. I thought putting some distance between us would help. I'm so sorry if I hurt you, but it wasn't my intent." He walked over to me then. "May I?" he asked with his arms opened wide. I stood and walked into his embrace. "Thank you. Now go study and pass those exams, we'll see what happens when you get back."

I just nodded and went to collect my backpack. I stopped in the playroom on my way downstairs. "Girls, I need to talk to you for a minute." Katie ran over while Irina looked at me but stayed by her dollhouse. "I've got a couple of really big tests this week, so I'm going to be home until Friday morning. Ok?"

Katie pulled me down to her level and she whispered in my ear, "What about us? Who is going to take us to school and cook dinner?" I smiled and hugged her. "Your daddy will be here, silly. He'll take care of you, and you can call me anytime you feel like it."

Irina piped up, "You're leaving us?" She looked so worried and scared. "No sweetheart, I'm just going home for a few days. You'll have fun with Daddy and I will be back Friday to take you to school." Both girls hugged me before I left.

My parents were so happy to have me home. Dad was beside himself at the prospect of time with just me and a ballgame. My mother said a silent prayer of thanks and took a book to her room. "So sweetheart, how is everything?" I hugged him close, settling in for the Mariners game. "It's good Daddy. I've got to study for English and Calculus finals this week, so we are using it as a kind of trial run for Edward and the girls to see how they manage together. Edward may have to start interviewing nannies if they still need help at the end of the summer." I enjoyed spending the evening with dad, and climbed into my own bed to study around 9 o'clock when my phone rang. I was praying it wasn't Jake. I had not spoke to him since the morning after prom, and still wasn't ready. The phone rang again as I answered it, "Hello?"

"Bella!" I heard a faint echo as Katie and Irina laughed as they spoke. "Hey girls, are you on the speaker phone?"

"Yes, we wanted to tell you goodnight, so Daddy said we could call. He took us to eat dinner at the diner, then we got to play Twister, we had a bubble bath and now we have to go to bed." They sounded happy, and I was so glad for that.

"I'm happy you had such a good day. Goodnight, girls, I love you both."

"Night Bella," Irina said, "we miss you." "Love you." Kate said.

After ending the call I studied for my English exam. I wasn't too worried about it, but wanted to make sure all the material was fresh in my mind. I was just turning off the bedside lamp when the phone rang again. It was Edward, a call so close to midnight, I worried something was wrong.

"Edward? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, oh I'm sorry Bella, I didn't realize it was so late. I didn't wake you did I?"

"No, I just finished studying and was going to bed. What's up?"

I heard him shifting around; I guess he was in bed as well. "Nothing really, I just wanted to wish you luck on your exams and to let you know the girls missed you today, I missed you too. It seems so quiet in the house right now. We had such a good day today. I really think we are going to be fine once you head off to UW, as long as I take a few cooking lessons." I laughed at him. "I think between your mom and I we can teach you some serious skills in the kitchen. What would you think about a cooking lesson Friday while the girls are in school and then next week I'm free from school, so we'll get you working with breakfast, lunch and dinner for the week?"

"Sounds good, I'll let you get some sleep. Goodnight Bella, pleasant dreams."

"Night, Edward." I closed the phone and then my eyes as I drifted off to sleep.

Thankfully I had no bad dreams and was able to sleep well, get up quickly and get to school on time. I had my English final today, P.E. Wednesday, and Calculus on Thursday. I breezed through my exam and spent the remaining time at school in study hall talking to Angela. I had told her about my disastrous night after prom, and she was able to fill in some blanks for me, such as Jake had had a couple of drinks but was no where near as messed up as I was, most of the night was still a blank for me.

After school I headed back to my house. I had just driven into the driveway when I noticed Jake's motorcycle. Obviously he knew I was home, and decided now was the time for us to talk. He was at my door before I turned the truck off. "Hey." Three weeks and that's what he starts with.

"Hi," I replied.

"Bells you have to talk to me. I don't know what I did to drive you away. You haven't answered my calls, returned my messages or even answered my emails." I walked into the house, dropping my books on the table, before heading out the back door into the woods behind the house.

"Jake…prom…I didn't want to lose my virginity that way. I wanted it to be special, not something done in a drunken stupor."

Jake tried to pull me to him, I just walked further away. "Bella, it was special. It was everything I could ever have asked for. Yeah we were both tipsy, but you acted like you were ready. You were the one to suggest a room. Bella, I just wanted to make you happy."

"What happened to the necklace, Jake? According to the jeweler I took it to, it was pulled off my neck and that is why it was broken. The links were shredded, pulled until they snapped. I wouldn't have done that Jake. I had to replace the chain and explain what happed when I returned it to Edward." Jake looked confused. "Why did you return the gift?"

"It wasn't a gift Jake. Edward loaned it to me to wear to the prom and you still haven't explained how it was ripped off my neck."

Jake started pacing. "I saw it while we were… and I got so angry. I ripped it off you. I know you have feelings for him, Bella. He's too old for you and has too much baggage. It's easy with us Bella, you're happy with me and I didn't want anything of his being a part of such a special time for me, for us."

I sighed then and said, "How many times are we going to go through this Jacob? Edward is a friend, family, he's also my boss. I take care of his daughters; there is nothing between us Jake, nothing."

"Bella, you _love_ him. I see it, I know you, don't forget that. I know you care for me, love me, but you are _in love_ with Cullen." I didn't know what to say to that. Jake had his mind made up. "Let's go back to the house, ok? I'll make us lunch and we can talk some more."

Over lunch I kept trying to tell Jake I wasn't in love with Edward, but Jake didn't want to hear it. What he wanted to know was if I was in love with him as well.

"I love you Jake, I do. I don't know what really being in love feels like, so maybe I am."

I didn't want to hurt his feelings by telling him the truth. Maybe I should have.

There was no studying that night for P.E. I was going to have to suffer through a tennis match to pass that one. I spent the evening returning emails and going over Calculus for Thursday until it was time for bed.

I had already said goodnight to Kate and Irina. They asked me again when I would be back; they wanted to see me before Friday. I laughed at them, telling them to take it easy on their daddy. It was nice to know they missed me.

It was 10 o'clock and I had just finished chatting on Facebook with Angie and Jessica about Newton's graduation party, when my phone rang. _Edward_ was displayed on the screen.

"Hey," I said.

"Hi, how was your test?"

"It was ok, I finished quickly and that's usually a good thing. I have P.E. tomorrow and the dreaded Calc final Thursday. So how was your day?"

He laughed, "It was good. I managed not to burn the kitchen down today making pizzas for the girls."

"Pizza huh, how did you manage that?"

"Well," he began, "you see there is this wonderful aisle in the grocery store. There are all kinds of fabulous food items that are frozen and you just need to heat them in your microwave or oven." I was giggling by the time he finished.

"I see we have another item to add list for your cooking lessons. What did you do while the girls were in school?"

"I worked on a couple of new pieces and my agent called to let me know a production company was interested in using me to score one of their films." I had never realized how in demand Edward's compositions were. We ended up speaking for another hour before I started yawning. "Alright, sweet girl, you need to get to sleep. Sweet dreams, Bella. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Edward."

OoOoO

My P.E. exam was torture. I hit Mike Newton with a tennis ball, right between his legs- sending him home for the day, and cutting my exam short. Angie and I laughed about it later. I spoke with the girls and Edward early in the even because Calculus had never been my friend, and I was trying to cram as much into my brain as possible.

I survived the exam, but my head felt fuzzy. Mr. Green didn't make the seniors stay on campus after we finished our exams. The only condition for our release was to be quiet as the rest of the campus was preparing for their finals the next week.

I didn't even think about going to my parents, I drove in a brain daze to the Cullen house and let myself in. I wanted to surprise the girls with a cake and an actual home cooked meal. I ended up getting my own surprise as well as an eye full of a towel wrapped Edward coming out of the kitchen with a sandwich.

"Whoops! Sorry," I stammered out, turning around.

"Just a minute, Bella, don't move." Edward ran to his room and was back quickly in basketball shorts and a t-shirt.

"Sorry I wasn't expecting anyone, so I was grabbing a sandwich before getting ready."

I knew I was still beet red, "I'm sorry I should have called you to let you know I was coming over. I just wanted to surprise the girls with a cake and dinner."

Edward shook his head, "It's ok. The girls are going to be happy you're home."

I felt a little awkward, but since Edward didn't seem bothered, I relaxed and filled him in on the killer Calc final. "I really don't care if I got an A, I just wanted to pass it. I hate math and am grateful I won't have to take too many math courses at UW.

I spent the early afternoon baking a cake for dessert and then letting it cool before I frosted it. Edward left to pick up the girls telling me he would take them to the park, giving me the extra time needed to finish the cake and be ready to surprise them.

Just after 3:30, I heard the car drive up. The girls came running into the house carrying a big box, which they dropped when they say me.

"Bella! Bella!" They ran over to me nearly tackling me with hugs.

"Hey, sweet girls, how was school?"

"Good." They hugged me tight once more before handing me the box they brought in.

"What's this?"

"Bellllaaa, it's your gradation present, silly." Irina sang out.

"My graduation present? You didn't have to get me anything." Edward was just coming in the door with another box in his hand.

"Really, Edward, this is unnecessary." He just smiled.

"Katie and Rini picked out that present for you. They worked hard on it."

I sat on the sofa and opened the box, it was a pretty scrapbook.

"Grandma Esme helped us make pretty pages for you Bella. We have lots of pictures left if you want them."

I flipped through the pages, the first page was a picture of me, Angela, Tanya and paint covered Alice. It was the day we had been hired at _Sparkle_, I remember Mrs. Weber taking the picture before we left that day. The girls had added little drawings and stickers to the page.

The others had pictures of me with the girls, with Esme and Carlisle, some of my parents. The last page prepared had three photographs. The first was one of me with Tanya taken at work. The second picture was taken at Thanksgiving; it was one of me with Tanya and Edward. The last picture, I didn't know who could have taken it. It was a picture of Edward and I sitting at his piano, I was in my pajamas and he was playing the piano.

"Edward, who?"

"Tanya took it. You were staying with us when Renee was in the hospital. T came up , heard me playing and went to get her camera."

I looked at the picture and saw what Jake had been talking about. You could see the love in my eyes as I looked at Edward. Oh God, did Tanya know? I never would have done anything, but you'd have to be blind not to see it.

As if he could read my mind, Edward said, "She teased me for weeks about it, you know. She wasn't mad about your crush, she thought it was sweet, she also trusted us enough to know it would not go beyond that."

I was scarlet I was so embarrassed. "Please don't, Bella. It was flattering. You are such a sweet soul. Please don't be embarrassed about it. Crushes are a part of growing up. If I were a few years younger…Anyway, here is your other present." He handed me a small box that contained a silver charm bracelet. There were a few charms already on it. There was a 'B', a cupcake, a slide and a silver heart. Edward took the bracelet and fastened it on my wrist as he explained the charms.

"The 'B' is for you, Katie picked the cupcake, Rini chose the slide, and the heart is so you know how much we love you and will miss you while you are away at school."

I was tearing up from the explanations. Edward got the girls' attentions, so I could wipe my eyes. "So who's in the mood for spaghetti and meatballs for dinner? I know I am. So is Bella going to make it for us?"

I laughed at their silliness, "Come on, let's go start dinner. Don't you girls think it's time Daddy learned to cook?"

That night started our cooking lessons and after one pot of lumped together noodles, Edward started to get the hang of it. There was a lot of laughter that night and after settling the girls in bed I took my book and curled up on the sofa by the fire.

"May I join you?" Edward gestured to the sofa. I moved my feet and pat the cushion beside me.

"Please do."

He sat, turning towards me. "I hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable earlier, Bella. I really wasn't making fun of you about the crush."

"I know you weren't Edward. I just feel horrible that Tanya even knew. I never would have done anything to betray her, I hope she knew that."

"She did, like I said, she trusted the both of us. I hope you understand that I care for you Bella; you have become such a vital part of our lives. You will be missed around here. I know you and Jake are having a rough time right now, but I am here if you ever need to talk."

He put his arm around my shoulders pulling me into his side and then he kissed the top of my head.

"I'll always be here if you ever need me, Bella. Always."

OoOoO

_**Due to the breaking of this chapter into two, we will be back to the present with Charlie in chapter 10. **_

**So loved it? Hated it? Let me hear from you. Please review**.


	10. Chapter 10

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 9

The next week passed in a blur of cooking lessons with Edward and playing games with the girls. We had all gotten into a routine of sorts in the Cullen house. Edward would work on his music in the mornings while I would get the girls off to school, and then together we would spend the time after 11 o'clock in the kitchen working on various dishes we thought the girls would like. After school ended we all would spend time together, it didn't matter where we went as long as we were together. Katie would ask for piggy back rides whenever we walked somewhere and Irina skipped everywhere we went. We would take the girls to the park, the playground, the beach or the museum in Port Angeles.

The morning of my graduation I hit my alarm clock before sitting up in bed and then I bolted for the bathroom. "Bella, are you alright in there?" I heard Edward call from outside the bathroom door. "Yeah I guess I just have a nervous stomach this morning."

I rinsed my mouth and brushed my teeth before walking back into my bedroom. Edward sat at the end of the bed holding out a cup of coffee.

"I thought you might need this since we stayed up so late last night." I had been too keyed up to sleep the night before, so Edward suggested watching a movie. He pulled out an old favorite of mine, _The Lost Boys_, eh… so I had a thing for vampires, sue me.

"Thanks," I said as I took the cup. He looked at me as if trying to decide something. "Do you think you could eat something this morning?"

I nodded my head enthusiastically, "Sure, I'm starving."

"Good, get ready. We are meeting your parents for breakfast at the Lodge before your ceremony."

I showered and dressed in the blue dress that Alice had given me for graduation. The ceremony didn't start until 11:30 that morning, but I needed to be there by 11 o'clock.

The sun was actually shining as Edward drove over to the restaurant where my parents would meet us. "You look lovely, Bella." Edward told me as he helped first me then each of the girls from the car. Rini and Katie were bouncing around like they were on pogo sticks. "I think you may need to watch how much time they spend with Alice, Edward. They get more like her every day. I wish I had that energy, especially today."

We joined my parents at their table, my mother hugging me tightly saying over and over, "My baby is graduating" and "Look how grown up you are." Dad was his usual stoic self when in public, just a quick hug. He did however laugh at me when I inhaled my pancakes and eggs. "Is Edward not feeding you enough, Bells?"

"I'm just hungry, Dad. I had a bit of a nervous stomach this morning, so I guess I made room." Mom gave me a concerned look. "You aren't getting sick are you sweetheart?"

"No, Momma. I'm fine I think it was just the excitement of graduation." After helping the girls clean their faces and hands, we all headed over to the school. The graduates had to be there by 11 to get last minute instructions and line up. The honors students took the first row, and then the other students were seated alphabetically. Eric Yorkie was our Valedictorian and Angela was our Salutatorian, I was actually grateful that that I was third in the class, there was no way I would've survived making a speech. The ceremony passed quickly, the speeches were short and as I received my diploma, the sounds of cheering from my family caused my face to heat. I looked over and made eye contact with my father and a smiling Edward as they clapped and cheered for me. Once everyone had received their diplomas and we had the changing of the tassels and the hats flew, everyone was trying to get to their respective family groups. I made my way over to my family and had just been hugged and congratulated by them all when my feet left the ground. I let out a squeal before I realized it was Jake that had me. Dad laughed at us, Katie and Rini squealed in delight, but both Mom and Edward were wearing concerned expressions.

"Hey beautiful! So how does it feel to be a graduate?" Jake asked as he put me down.

"You'll know yourself next week." I managed to get out before I felt the bile rising in my throat. I ran for the closest bathroom, barely making it before I lost everything I had eaten at breakfast. A cool wet towel was placed on my forehead. "Are you ok, sweetie?"

When I was done, I wiped my mouth on the towel, flushed the toilet and felt my mother wrap her arms around me.

"I'm ok, Mom. Maybe I am coming down with something." I walked to the sink, washing my hands before rinsing my mouth. "Or," my mom started, "maybe you are coming down with a Jake problem. Bella, you have been avoiding him a lot lately. Are you going to break up with him?" "I don't know, Mom. Things are so screwed up and confusing right now."

"Baby, talk to him. Let him know how you are feeling. If you don't want to be with him anymore, if you don't love him, you need to tell him, let him go so that he can find his happiness and you'll be free to find your own." Mom gave me a knowing look, one that said she knew what was in my heart and what wasn't.

I decided to skip all the parties, just in case I was really sick. Instead that night I sat wrapped in a blanket leaning against Edward with Katie on my other side and Irina lying beside her father. We were in the den watching _Beauty and the Beast_. It never failed, each time I watched that movie I always cried at the end, when Belle is crying over the Beast after he dies and right before he changes back into the prince. Edward handed me a tissue as the girls laughed at my crying over the movie. After wiping my tears I laughed with them. I went to get up, to take the girls upstairs, but Edward held me back saying, "Stay. I'll get them to bed. You should rest." I snuggled into the warm spot he left on the sofa, know I needed to get up and go to bed, but I was just too comfortable to move.

"Bella," Edward shook me, calling my name. "Bella, wake up, love. Come on." I opened my eyes to see him standing over me trying to get my attention. "There you are. Come on let's get you up to bed as well." He pulled me to an upright position and my eyes started to roll back. "Ugh, dizzy." I sat still for a minute until the room stopped trying to spin.

"I'm ok now." Edward was looking at me strangely. "Are you sure about that? Maybe I should take you over to the ER. Dizziness is not a good thing, Bella."

"Edward, I'm fine, really. I just sat up too fast." He nodded his head in acceptance.

"Fine then, well let's get you upstairs." He followed me up, making sure I didn't faint or fall over, then waited while I changed in the bathroom, before pulling back the covers on the bed. I tripped over nothing when I walked out, but Edward caught me before I face-planted the floor. I was giggling when I said, "Its official, I'm a world class klutz."

Edward walked me to the edge of the bed, "Can you take it from here?" he smirked. "Yeah, I don't think the bed will bite."

He leaned over and kissed my forehead. "Night, Ms. Graduate, sleep well."

"Thank you Edward, for everything. Goodnight."

_Standing in the anteroom of the church my mother was straightening my gown, when she looked into my eyes._

'_Is this really what you want, honey? Is he the one you want?'_

_I nodded to her as my father took my arm, telling me it was time. The doors opened, the first notes of The Wedding March began to play as I told my mother, _

'_Yes, Momma, he's the one I've always wanted. I was just too afraid to let him in.'_

I woke before I made the walk down the aisle, but not before I saw his green eyes.

oooooo

We entered into June with very happy girls in the house. Kate and Irina were happy to be out of school. With no studies, they had more time to play. Alice came for a visit while Edward was in Los Angeles for a week.

"So how are you doing, Bella?"

"I'm good. I think I've finally shaken whatever bug I had. It's been a couple of weeks with no repeats of the dizziness, so that's a plus."

We were in the living room going over possible inventory for _Sparkle_ . Edward had decided to reopen the store, but was turning over the control to Alice. He didn't want to permanently close the store, but also didn't want to run it; _Sparkle_ had been Tanya's baby. So Alice decided she would move to Port Angeles later in the summer and reopen by August. Edward had enough to do anyway. In addition to raising the girls, he was working on the score for a movie and had a few other requests for his music.

"Have you spoken to Jake since his graduation?" I went with my parents to Jake's graduation the week after mine, but after dinner with Jake and Billy, I made my excuses so I could leave early.

"No. I mean how do I tell him I want us to take a break? It's been over two weeks since I saw him. I haven't called him, he stopped calling me. I know I've hurt him, but I don't know what to tell him that won't hurt him more."

"Bella you can't help how you feel, or in this case how you don't feel. You are letting your friendship suffer though. So my advice to you is not to wait too long. You've always valued your friendship with Jake. Tell him the truth now, so that maybe you can work through it and salvage your friendship."

I thought about what both my mother and Alice had told me. It still took me another week to pull the 'Big Girl Panties' on and call Jake. I asked him to meet me at First Beach.

My stomach was twisting itself into knots and I battled waves of nausea as I drove to La Push. I was sitting on the beach when Jake arrived.

"Hey Bells." He walked slowly over to me.

I stood and gave him a hug. "Hey Jakey, come walk with me?"

He took my offered hand saying, "Sure."

We walked down the beach. "Jake, I'm sorry I've been so distant since prom. I never wanted to hurt you. I care for you too much to ever intentionally hurt you, but I'm not ready for such a serious relationship. We're leaving for school in a few weeks and while I'm happy you are going to be there with me, I'm not sure we should be 'together' there. I love you, Jake, but I'm not in love with you. I don't think I am capable of that kind of love." Jake scoffed at me. "You are Bella, just not with me I guess."

He turned to walk away, "Jake…"

He gave me a hard look. "No Bella, I get it, I really do. I love you, but you can't return it. Just let me alone for a while. I'll call you later, but right now I just need time." There was so much hurt in his face. "Do you want me to come back?"

"No, I'll call you when I'm ready." I hugged him then turned back towards my truck.

"Bye, Jake."

"Bye, Bella."

oooooo

I made it back to the house before breaking down. I just sat in the driveway until the tears stopped. Edward opened the door before I reached it, "I was wondering…Bella, love, what's wrong?" He had me in his arms before I could blink.

"I broke up with Jake. I couldn't keep hurting him, but then I hurt him so much worse, ending it." I cried all over Edward's shirt once again. I was turning him into my own personal Kleenex. I stepped back from him.

"Sorry about your shirt again, just leave it in the laundry room. I'll wash it. I'm ok Edward, I just had to cry it out."

"Are you sure?" He asked, looking like he didn't believe me.

"Yeah, I'm going up to shower and change. Where are the girls?"

"Mom took them to a movie. They should be back in an hour or so."

I nodded, "Good I'll be fine by then. You better go change your shirt."

I was definitely feeling more myself by the time Esme, Kate, Irina and Alice walked in the door. "Did you have a good time?"

"Yes!" The girls filled me in on their afternoon while Esme and Alice discussed the changes she was making to _Sparkle_.

"Bella," Irina whispered, "Daddy said you were leaving soon."

I pulled her into my lap and nodded my head. "Yes, I start school in Seattle in a few weeks. I wont get to see you everyday like we are now, but it's not too far to visit. Maybe your daddy will let you visit when you go to see Grandma and Grandpa."

After settling the girls down for the night I went out on the back deck with the throw from the sofa and a bottle of water. It may have been June, but temperatures still cooled down into the 50's at night.

"Are you really alright, Bella?" Edward asked from the door. "Was breaking up with Jake what you really wanted?"

"Yes," I answered as he walked over to join me. "It wasn't fair of me to drag it out. I'm not in love with Jake, and he deserves someone that will love him unconditionally."

Edward sat with me on the loveseat and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side.

"You will know when it's right, Bella, and you were right to break it off if you didn't love him." We sat quietly for a while just looking at the stars.

"Hey guys, I just wanted to say goodnight. Mom and Dad have already gone to bed and I'm heading up now." Edward removed his arm and stood to give Alice a kiss on her forehead. "Night, Sis, don't let the bed bugs bite."

"Night, Alice." She smiled over at me, "Goodnight Bella."

I started to gather what I had brought outside. "I better get upstairs myself. The girls will be up early." Edward stopped me with a hand on my arm. "Would you stay a little longer, please?"

"Okay. Is there a reason why?" I returned to my position on the loveseat.

Edward looked over at me, his eyes were so intense. "I feel peaceful when you are close. It's like all the chaos that has been around the last 6 months fades. I don't know how to explain it, Bella. You've…you've made me feel… alive again. When I'm around you I feel things..." He leaned forward in his seat, bracing himself with his arms perched on his thighs, studying his hands. "I'm not really sure what I'm saying, it's just… I never thought I'd feel like this again, let alone so soon. You make me feel so alive yet so scared at the same time."

Why on Earth would I make Edward scared? I was trying to follow the conversation but he was bouncing all over the place with it.

"What are you saying, Edward?"

He was so tense, running his hands through his hair and pulling on it.

"Bella… I want you to, no I need you to know… your feelings… they aren't all one sided." I just stared at him, floored by what he was saying.

"Edward?"

"I…I never imagined that I would start to feel this way again. I don't know what to do about it either. It's not something that would be easy. There is just so much that would make it impossible, but that doesn't prevent me from feeling this way about you."

He stopped speaking then, looking into my eyes and taking a deep breath, he leaned over and gently brushed his lips over mine.

I had no time to react to anything that had just happened before Edward pulled away and stood. "It's getting late, you should get to bed. Goodnight Bella." He rushed inside leaving me completely confused.

I stayed outside a little longer trying to make sense of what happened, before going up to bed. Thankfully I was able to sleep peacefully. I woke with no trouble the next morning and headed down to start breakfast.

Esme greeted me as I entered the kitchen. "Morning, Bella. I hope you slept well." I nodded. She had already begun the prep for breakfast so I asked what I could help with.

"I've got it under control. Why don't you go get the girls up?" I had just turned towards the stairs when three sleepy smiles met me. Edward had already gotten the girls up. I smiled and said, "Good morning" to them as they walked over to the table. The girls asked for pancakes, so I got the syrup, cut fruit and whipped cream out for them. Esme was pouring the batter onto the griddle when Edward walked up behind me. He smiled at me as I stiffened saying, "Good morning Bella." He reached over me for a coffee mug as I stepped away to give him access to the coffeemaker.

"Good morning Edward." I was completely rattled and he acted like nothing was different. I sat at the table between Kate and Irina asking them what they wanted to do for the day.

"Actually, Bella," Esme interrupted, looking towards Edward, "Carlisle and I were hoping Edward would let us take the girls on a trip this next week. Edward, would you mind if we took Kate and Irina to Disneyland?" The girls were bouncing in their seats. "Please Daddy, please?"

Edward looked at his mother. "When did you decide to do this?" He was asking her, but looking at me.

"Well, your father has the next two weeks off and we didn't get a chance to schedule a big trip what with everything that happened, so we thought maybe some quality grandparent time to spoil our granddaughters would be a good idea."

Carlisle and Alice joined us then. "So are you going to let us take the girls to Disneyland, Edward?"

Edward looked over at his father, smirking. "I don't know old man, are you sure you can keep up with my two little hellions?"

Carlisle laughed, "They may be a little rambunctious, but they aren't hellions, and your mother and I aren't that old. I can still beat you at basketball, so watch who you are calling old. This will give you time to work in peace and give Bella time to get everything together for her move to Seattle as well as time for herself."

The girls had gotten up from the table and were dancing around their father, begging for permission. He grabbed them in a hug, "but if you go, what will I do? What do I do when my princesses aren't here? Will you miss me? Will you both promise to always stay with Grandma and Grandpa, and never leave their sights?" Kate and Irina nodded their heads in unison. "Will you call me everyday?" more nodding. Edward let out a huff of breath.

"Well… alright, I guess you can go to Disneyland," They squealed in delight. "but you … need to sit and eat before you do anything."

We all sat down for breakfast going over the details for the trip. Esme wanted to fly out the next morning, giving us the rest of the day to get the girls packed. Alice would be leaving as well. Jasper was flying into Seattle after visiting his parents. They were going to be looking at apartments in Port Angeles.

"Edward, don't forget that Emmett and Rose will be arriving at the end of the month."

"I remember, Ali. I already promised I would help them unpack once the movers get there." Emmett had gotten a job at an elementary school in Port Angeles and Rosalie used her connections to find a nice townhouse to rent until they could find a suitable house.

The rest of the day proceeded as it normally would. Edward was acting like everything was normal, and I was beginning to think I had imagined what had taken place the night before. I was seriously thinking of asking Maggie for a referral to a good psychologist.

It was only after the girls were packed, bathed and in bed, and I was alone trying to think of something to do the next week, that Edward found me again outside.

"You like it out here, don't you?" I looked over towards him.

"Yeah, it's so peaceful here."

"May I join you?"

"Sure," I motioned to the seat beside me, but he didn't sit. Edward walked over to the railing looking out into the forest.

"I want to apologize for last night."

I stood up then. "What is there to apologize for, Edward?" I walked over to him, hoping he would look at me. "You did nothing that you need to apologize for."

He did turn to look at me then. "Bella, I've tried to watch myself with you, but I always fail at keeping the distance. I see you with the girls, all of you so happy and then when we are all together, well it makes it hard to resist. I don't even know if you have feelings for me. A crush isn't real and then you started seeing Jacob. You dated him almost a year, and you just broke up with him…so could you even still have feelings for me? I'm just trying to find my way here, and realized I'm not sure I even should…"He had begun to ramble, so I put my hand over his mouth, stopping him. He looked into my eyes as if he was trying to find his answers.

"Edward, there was a reason I was never able to give my whole heart to Jacob. Part of my heart already belonged to someone else. Jake was actually the one to tell me. I had become completely oblivious to my own feelings because I knew they could never be returned."

He took my hand in his. "I don't know where to go from here. I kept telling myself to stay away. You're so young, you have your whole life ahead of you and I don't want to hold you back from your dreams." I put our joined hands over my heart.

"You aren't holding me back, Edward. You help me find my dreams, not take them away. _You_ are my dream. I've seen your eyes in my dreams for so long." My eyes were searching his willing him to believe me.

"Bella," Edward drew me close, wrapping his arms around me. He lowered his head settling his mouth over mine. At first it was a soft, sweet kiss, just our lips moving together, but Edward parted his lips, his tongue swept over my lower lip seeking entrance. I parted my mouth letting out a whimper as our tongues met. We kissed for what felt like hours, but still not long enough. He was the one to gentle the kiss, easing back with a few quick pecks before our lips broke contact completely.

We just stood there in the late evening, holding each other and smiling like fools. I leaned back to look at him, "You really know how to kiss." Edward laughed and then stepped back from me. There was a faint blush on his cheeks. "Um, thanks?" It came out like a question, so I giggled. I took his hand and led him over to the loveseat.

"So what were you doing when I came out here?" He placed his arm around me.

"I was just trying to decide what to do for the week." He gave me an undecipherable look, "Are you going home to your parents?" I shook my head. "There's no reason to go home. Mom and Dad are leaving for San Francisco the day after tomorrow for some kind of law enforcement conference."

He looked relieved to hear that. "Would you like to go over to Seattle for a few days? I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind if we stayed at their house. I'd like to show you around town, take you to places you'll need to know once you are on campus. We can do some of the touristy things if you'd like." I smiled, "It sounds great, I've never actually been to the Space Needle."

"Good, then I will make reservations for dinner there one night. We can eat and enjoy the beautiful Seattle skyline."

oooooooo

After many hugs and kisses from Kate and Irina, as well as Esme and Carlisle, Edward and I watched them leave early the next morning, heading towards SeaTac airport. They wouldn't reach Los Angeles until early evening so I was not envying Esme and Carlisle their trip at all. By the time they landed the girls would be extremely cranky as they had had very little sleep from all the excitement.

"Ok guys, I'm off to meet Jasper. So you will be at the house tomorrow, right? Let's plan a little retail therapy at University Village then maybe over to Pikes Place before Jasper and I leave." I laughed at her enthusiasm, "Sure Alice, shopping… sounds fun." She gave us each a hug, whispering something in her brother's ear before leaving.

Edward wrapped his arms around me from behind. "What did she say to you?"

His jaw tightened briefly before he relaxed his face and smiled. "Nothing, she was just telling me to try and get you excited for the shopping she wants to do." I just shook my head laughing, "It's not going to happen."

Edward smiled and kissed my cheek before stepping back. "Will you take a walk with me?" He held out his hand, and I took it. We walked around to the back of the house, following a trail. "Where are we going?" The smile he gave me was simply dazzling.

"It's just a spot the girls and I found." We walked for at least 30 minutes just enjoying the day before Edward left the trail. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea for me, remember I'm a klutz."

"Don't worry, I won't let you fall." True to his word he kept me from breaking my neck a few times. Ten minutes later we stepped into a small but beautiful flower covered meadow. Trees ringed the area giving off a feeling of complete isolation and solitude.

"It's beautiful. Rini and Katie must have loved this. Did you bring Tanya here to see it?"

I regretted asking the question as soon as it left my lips. I looked away from him, not wanting to see the sadness the question brought.

He stepped over to me, lifting my chin up so he could see my eyes. "No, love, we didn't find this until a few weeks ago. It was during your finals, while you were at your parents." He placed a gentle kiss on my lips before leading me to a spot right in the center of the meadow, then sitting down. He patted the ground beside him so I sat turning my body to face him.

"It really is beautiful, Edward, so quiet. It would be a great place to lose yourself for an afternoon." He flashed a crooked grin at me, "So you've discovered my nefarious plans, hmmmm?"

He pulled me close and we lay down in the grass. "I just wanted to spend some time with you, alone with no distractions."

I propped myself up on his chest. Smiling down into his face, I said, "That's impossible, Edward. You, yourself, are quite a distraction." I placed a kiss over his heart then settled into his side. He kissed my temple and then we both just lay there relaxing.

We left the meadow and walked back to the house in the late afternoon. "Would you like another cooking lesson?" I asked as we made our way up the steps to the front door.

"What will we make?"

"How do you feel about grilling?"

"That's one thing I do well Bella. I've grilled a lot over the years."

I just smiled at him. "I know that, but you aren't just cooking meat tonight. We can grill our vegetables as well as some fruit for dessert."

We worked well together in the kitchen. Edward got the steaks into the marinade, and then helped me slice the vegetables and fruit so the pieces would cook evenly. I think the idea of grilled pears and apricots with vanilla ice cream intrigued Edward. While Edward manned the grill I cut a few potatoes to roast in the oven and then took two glasses of wine outside to join him.

"Hey," he smiled taking the glasses from my hands and setting them on the table, he wrapped me in his arms. "This is nice."

I leaned into him, feeling his warmth against my back. "It is." He kissed my jaw, squeezing me a little tighter. "What time are they due to land, Edward?"

He checked his watch for the time. "They should have just landed. We'll hear from them soon. I wonder if Mom and Dad are regretting this trip yet. The girls are probably driving them crazy right now."

We had an enjoyable evening. The dinner was nice, the conversation and company even better. We had just finished cleaning up when Edward's phone rang.

I could hear the girls chattering away. Just watching Edward smile and laugh while speaking to his daughters made my heart flutter. He smiled over at me as the girls went on and on about the flight and how much fun they were having, how excited they were to see Cinderella and Mickey Mouse the next day. I spoke briefly with them, just saying we missed them and hoped they had fun with their grandparents.

Edward went up to the studio after speaking to the girls. I decided to go to bed not long after. As was his usual habit, unless he was recording, Edward left the studio door cracked. I listened to him work through several pieces while I was getting ready for bed.

He must have started a new piece, one he was just working on, because he would go through it time after time, adjusting it here and there. It started slow and somber, but transformed into something faster paced and lighthearted, building in momentum before softening into a quiet melody again. It lulled me to sleep that night.

oooooo

The next morning after a quick breakfast and pouring our coffee into travel mugs, we got into Edward's car heading for Seattle. The drive took us through Port Angeles and Edward pointed out the street that Emmett and Rosalie were moving to. "He really can't wait to get here. He's already planned all of these camping and fishing trips. No women allowed, he says, he wants male bonding time. I think he's really missed being close to family." I smiled at him. "You have a terrific family, Edward. If I lived that far away, I'd be excited to see you all as well."

Sadness flashed across his face. "What's wrong?" He shook his head and then smiled his lazy smile. "Nothing. Would you like to go for a boat ride tonight? We can take my father's boat out into Lake Union." I knew he was trying to distract me, but I let him get away with it this time. "I'd love to."

I didn't know what it is about road trips, but I was always able to fall asleep on longer drives. I had not even realized I had fallen asleep until Edward brushed my hair away from my face and called my name.

"Bella, love, wake up." I slowly opened my eyes, noting the car had stopped and we were parked in the driveway of a large two story house.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you." Edward wasn't bothered at all; he smiled the same goofy grin both of us seemed to be wearing a lot. "It's quite alright. I wasn't bored; on the contrary, you kept me entertained with your conversation." Edward looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh. "Oh no! What did I say?" I couldn't remember any dreams, so there was no telling what had come out of my mouth.

Edward opened his door, got out and walked around the car to help me out. He pulled me from the seat and after closing the door, pinned me against it. "Let's just say you made yourself quite clear." He smirked down at me, "I know what you really want, my sweet, sweet Bella, and you drove me crazy with it the last half of the drive." He crashed his lips down onto mine. The kiss didn't get a chance to deepen as we broke apart when the door opened.

Alice was rushing down the front steps towards us. "I'm so glad you guys finally got here." She hugged me, but was shooting daggers over my shoulder at her brother.

"Let's get settled into the guestroom. Then it's on to the stores." She gave Edward a quick kiss on his cheek then grabbed my arm, pulling me inside. "Get the bags, Edward." She called over her shoulder. Alice led me into the house talking about all the stores she wanted to show me. She seemed determined to show me every possible store that I would ever need once I started school. Edward brought the bags in and was speaking with Jasper in the living room. Alice looked over at her brother, then back to me before asking, "Bella, what is going on between you and Edward?"

I gaped at her, not sure what I should say. "Well, we…" I started to say, but Edward said, "Alice", in a warning tone at the same time. She shrugged her shoulders at him and then took me on a quick tour of the house, ending in the guestroom I was to sleep in.

We left there and headed to the game room where the guys were waiting for us.

Edward looked anxious, but Jasper looked amused. Edward kept trying to get closer to me, but Alice kept pulling me away towards the door. She informed us that we needed to get going so she headed outside with me in tow. "So is there anything in particular that you need today, Bella?" Alice asked me, but it was Edward that answered. "I'll take her shopping for her dorm supplies later, Alice, but I would like you to help her find a dress for tomorrow night." Edward tried yet again to draw me closer towards him, but Alice put herself between us. "What's going on tomorrow night?" Edward reached around his sister, taking my hand and pulling me into his side. "I made reservations at Sky City for dinner. Bella hasn't been to the Space Needle and I thought this would be the perfect experience for her." He smiled at me, rubbing circles with his thumb on my hand.

"Oooh Jasper, lets stay here another day and go too." I thought Edward was going to strangle Alice, then and there. Jasper tried to swallow his laugh, but he ended up choking a bit. "Ali, honey, its rude to invite yourself on someone else's date. Let them alone, will ya?"

Edward led me over to the car while Jasper spoke to Alice. "Try not to pay any attention to her, love. I don't know what her problem is today." He helped me into the passenger seat and then kissed my forehead. He was just getting behind the wheel and fastening his seatbelt when Alice and Jasper joined us, getting into the rear seat.

She was much nicer to her brother and stopped asking about our plans for our visit.

Alice also stopped trying to be some twisted version of a chaperone, keeping us separated. We made it to University Village in just a few minutes. Alice told the guys to amuse themselves as she drug me through Victoria's Secret and JCrew. We found a great summer weight dress in what they were calling a soft pewter color, but it was more like a cream. The dress was a sleeveless shift with a deep V neckline. Alice added a thin black belt and black heels. It was lovely and nothing too over the top for a dinner date. "It's perfect, Bella, simple and elegant." She smiled at me as we went to locate the guys.

"I think Jasper and I are going to head on out to Port Angeles. Rose said there was an apartment down from their townhouse that was available, so I want to get a good look at it. Alice asked Edward to drop them off before we continued our day.

While Edward took the shopping bags in, and Jasper was getting the last of Alice's suitcases, she asked to speak with me in private. "Bella," she started quietly, "I know it's not any of my business, but I care about you and my brother. Please, think hard about this before you do anything you may regret later. I don't want to see either of you get hurt." She hugged me tight and then without waiting for a response from me, she got into her car waiting for Jasper. I waved to her before walking into the house. Edward and Jasper were talking quietly until they noticed me. Jasper smiled and told me goodbye as Edward walked over, looking me in the eyes. His eyes looked sad. "Has Alice convinced you yet?"

"Convinced me of what?" I asked him. "That I'm not right for you, that I can't be what you need, and that you should be with someone younger."

I shook my head at him and then wrapped my arms around his waist hugging him.

"You are exactly right for me."

OoOoO

_**Ok, so the chapter got away from me a bit, and instead of posting a 13K word chapter, I had to break it again. Good news the next post will be up by noon tomorrow, the bad news Charlie's chapter won't be the one posted tomorrow, but it will be up before Monday. He's fun to write.**_

_**Please let me know what you thought. Review and let me hear from you.**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**AN: Ok here is the second part. More Edward and Bella time, and some important things happening. I'll let you get to it, just a warning that this chapter earns the rating.**_

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 10

"_Has Alice convinced you yet?"_

"_Convinced me of what?" I asked him. "That I'm not right for you, that I can't be what you need, and that you should be with someone younger."_

_I shook my head at him and then wrapped my arms around his waist hugging him._

"_You are exactly right for me."_

ooo

Edward tightened his arms around me. "I'm not, but I also don't want to fight my feelings anymore, either." He tilted my head up, leaning down as I pushed up onto my toes to meet him. Our lips moved as if they had always been together, our tongues danced sensually. We slowly moved towards the sofa trying to get closer. I ended up on his lap straddling him, my chest pressed tightly to his, my fingers in his hair. We tried to be as close as possible. I ran my fingers down his chest, slipping them underneath the hem of his shirt, trailing them along his hard stomach. I felt his hands running along my thighs, fingers slipping just under the edge of my shorts.

I felt the ache building in my stomach and lower. I had felt desire before when I made out with Jake, but this was so much more powerful. I wanted to crawl inside of Edward and just stay there. I moved my hands up along his sides over his chest, bringing his shirt up with them. Edward broke out kiss with a groan. He stilled his hands on my legs and looked at me. "Bella, love, we need to stop." That was the last thing I wanted to happen. I tried to kiss Edward again, but he moved me off of his lap to the cushion beside him. "No, Bella, we can't."

His hair was even messier than usual because of my hands, his hooded eyes were so dilated that they looked black instead of green, and his shirt was still pushed up revealing his fantastic abs and a trail of hair leading below his waistband. I wanted to spend the day just staring at the man.

"Why?" I asked.

I could feel how much he didn't want to stop, so why did he?

"Bella, this isn't something to rush into. You are so young, baby. I don't want you to feel pressured into anything and I'm not sure we're ready for that."

I was hurt. Did he not want me after all? Was I too inexperienced for him? All of my insecurities started to rear their ugly heads. I stood up and tried to move away.

"Bella…" Edward said as I pulled out of his hold. "Wait. Where are you going?"

I walked through the kitchen and out the back door into a huge backyard. I kept walking towards the back, until I spotted a swing hanging from an old tree. "Bella, please, look at me." He caught up to me as I sat on the swing. I avoided his gaze as I spoke, not wanting to see his reaction.

"I'm always going to be _too_ young for you, Edward. Our age difference won't ever change. Please don't use that as and excuse. I know what I want. If you don't want me, just be honest. Do not use the age card." I started twisting in the swing. Edward grabbed the ropes leaning over me. "You have to know I want you. Shit, we were practically glued together inside, but Bella, this… what's between us, it's so much more than sex. There is also more than your age at issue, sweetheart. I'm scared. I'm scared that if we rush too fast one of us will end up hurt."

Edward took my hands, pulling me off the swing and back to the house. "You are leaving in a few weeks, and even though I know it's just to Seattle, you'll still be living a whole new life. You will be surrounded by new people, new experiences." We settled back onto the sofa from earlier. "Bella, love, I don't want this to keep you from having all of those experiences and rushing into bed could do that. Sharing the most intimate parts of ourselves, it means so much. I don't ever want you to regret the moment that I make you mine." He gave me a slow wink. "I want it to be a memory that we will cherish forever."

Edward tucked me into his side, running his free hand up and down my arm. "How about that boat ride? Would you still like to go?"

"Sure. Will we be eating while we are out?"

He nodded.

"Ok, just let me change." I pulled out a sundress that I had packed and paired it with sandals and a light weight cardigan.

Edward gave me an appreciative look as he helped me into the car. I had decided that tonight I was just going to keep reminding Edward of what I wanted. I wouldn't push him too far, but perhaps just enough would do the trick.

As we drove over to the marina, I crossed my legs allowing my skirt to ride up. Edward's eyes would dart from the road to my legs and back again. When he helped me out of the car, I hugged him close, kissing his chin. As we walked down the dock I slipped my hand from his, instead I wrapped my arm around his waist. Edward led us to a Bayliner Discovery. It was what I had always called a ski boat. It wasn't huge or over the top, but perfect for navigating the lake. He stepped aboard and as he lifted me down I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. I opened my mouth, teasing his lips with my tongue and just after he deepened the kiss, I pulled away sitting on the seat opposite the controls.

Edward looked at me with a strange gleam in his eyes. "Bella, what are you up to?" I tried to give him my most innocent look. "I'm not up to anything, sweetheart. I'm just excited for the ride." He smiled then and maneuvered the boat out of this slip.

As we navigated the waters of Lake Union, I ran my hand up and down Edward's muscular back before finally slipping it under his shirt touching the skin and tracing soft patterns on the small of his back. He turned his heated gaze on me.

"Bella," he warned as he removed my hand from under his shirt, "love, please behave."

"But Edward, what if I don't want to behave?" His eyes flashed as he set to boat to idle and pulled me close and taking my lips in a searing kiss. "I'd hate to have to put you in _Time Out_, Bella." He kissed my nose before resuming our ride. We ended our trip back at the marina. After securing the boat, Edward pulled me behind him, walking quickly to his car. "Where are we going in such a hurry, Edward?" He opened the passenger door and helped me in before leaning over me to fasten my seatbelt. He whispered in my ear, "You realize that payback is a bitch, don't you?"

Edward drove us to a small Italian restaurant for dinner. We were seated in a semi-secluded U-shaped booth and informed that our waiter would be right with us.

He smirked at me as we looked over the menus. "You are quite a tease, Ms Swan."

I just smiled. I was trying to decide what to order when I felt a light tickling on the back of my knee. I tried to ignore him as the waiter took our drink orders, but before he returned with my drink, Edward's hand started inching up my leg and underneath my dress. I shot him a dirty look. I was about to give my order when Edward moved his hand extremely high up on my inner thigh. Thankfully the tablecloth hid what Edward was doing, but it did nothing to muffle the squeak I let out. "Are you alright, love?"

"Y-yes." The waiter looked at me waiting for my order. I had forgotten what I was going to order, so I just said the first item I saw on the menu, "Mushroom ravioli." Edward was tracing hearts on my leg as he ordered, not showing any signs of what he was doing under the table. When the waiter left, Edward moved closer and leaned in to give me a sweet kiss, before removing his hand.

"Now we will both behave, right?"

Our meal was nice, but nicer still was that Edward touched me in some way the rest of the evening. As we entered his parents' house, he walked me to the guestroom door.

"I had a really great time today, Edward. Thank you for bringing me here."

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear as he said, "Thank you for coming with me, and for spending the evening with me, love. Now get some rest, there is a whole city to conquer tomorrow. Goodnight my beautiful, Bella." He brushed my lips gently with his.

"Goodnight, Edward."

Peaceful wouldn't be how I categorized my sleep that night, enjoyable yes, but peaceful, no. I was able to get up and dressed before Edward, so I went to the kitchen to make breakfast. I had just finished cutting fruit into a bowl and was starting to prepare French toast when I felt his arms wrap around my waist.

"Good morning, love. Did you sleep well?" I looked over my shoulder and smiled at him.

"I'm not sure you really want me to answer that." I leaned back in his embrace, loving the feel of him behind me. I finished our breakfast carried the plate of French toast and bowl of fruit to the table while Edward got our coffee and juice.

"I wanted to ask you what you wanted to do today. We can go down to Pikes Place Market if you'd like. There are several interesting shops, the aquarium is great, or we can always go explore the campus.

I took his hand in mine, "Would you mind if we just stayed here for a while. I know we have plans tonight, so today I'd love to have time just with you."

"Hmm… sounds good, but there are no meadows around here and there are bound to be interruptions." No sooner had he said the words than his phone rang.

"Morning, Mom. How are the girls?" While Edward spoke first with Esme and then Kate and Irina, I cleaned up our breakfast dishes. When I finished in the kitchen I wandered into the backyard. I sat in the swing swaying in the breeze and enjoying the beautiful morning.

"I wish I had my camera." I looked over to see Edward staring. "Why?"

"Just to capture your happiness, it's an image I wish to carry with me."

He came up behind me and gave me a gentle push. "The girls are having so much fun. They sent their love to you, but I'm not sure they ever want to leave Disney. We may have to move there permanently, Rini said that you could be Belle and I could be the Beast."

I really missed them. It seemed strange that they weren't here with us. "Edward, I think I've changed my mind." I felt him freeze, before walking around and kneeling in front of me.

"What about?"

"Let's go to the aquarium, go be around people now, because tonight I want just you."

He gave me a crooked smile, "Ok, let's go by the campus and get some shirts for the girls. I've already got one for you."

We spent the day exploring the city. Edward had grown up here of course, but I had only been a few times, and never had time to explore. The aquarium was beautiful; the staff was busy setting up in the underwater dome for a wedding. It looked like it was going to be lovely. We walked over to the IMAX theater connected to the aquarium and watched a film about a marine biologist studying giant manta rays, then Edward and I went down to the marketplace and watched the fish mongers throwing the salmon, and we bought some fresh fruit for the next day.

After driving back over to the University District, we parked the car and just walked the campus. Edward told me stories about his time at UW and showed me some of his favorite places to hang out. We did stop at the university store and buy both Irina and Kate UW Huskies t-shirts, Edward bought a new sweatshirt and I found a hooded long sleeved tee for myself.

It was getting late and our reservation for dinner was getting closer, so we drove back to the house to get ready. I showered quickly and was curling my hair with a curling iron when Edward knocked on the door. I was still in my towel, so I checked that it was secure before opening the door.

"Sorry love, the girls are on the phone. I told them we were going out and wouldn't be back before they went to sleep, so they want to tell you goodnight now." I took the phone from him and spoke to the girls. "We miss you Bella!" I smiled at the joy in their voices, "Oh I miss you too. Does this mean you are ready to come home?" I laughed when they both shouted, "No!"

Edward was staring at me like he was a starving man, and I was the last piece of food. "Be good for your grandparents and I will see you in a few days. Love you both! Here's your dad." I handed the phone back to Edward and watched as he backed out of the room.

I took out the garment bag from JCrew and a very tasteful bra and panty set from Victoria's Secret.

I slipped on the cream silk bra and matching panty before stepping into my dress. I really did love it. It was cotton, but it had a nice sheen to the fabric that made it feel so much richer. The skirt fell to just above my knee and after adding the thin black belt and slipping the heels on my feet I was ready to go.

Edward was speechless when I walked into the living room.

"I hope that means you like it." He walked over, placing his hands on my shoulders.

"You are beautiful, just beautiful."

ooo

Sky City was really nice, and the view was incredible. Being able to sit through dinner and watch as the Seattle skyline slowly changed was fun, but I found myself too distracted by Edward to really enjoy the experience. Once we had finished our dinner we moved up to the observation deck. We walked around looking down at the city lights. I stopped to look out over the lake as Edward put his jacket around my shoulders then pulled me back into his chest. He leaned his head against mine asking, "Are you having a nice time?" I nodded against him, and turning in his arms I snuggled into his chest. "It's perfect."

The air felt charged around us, and when Edward kissed me it felt like fireworks had gone off in my chest. My hands were in the hair on his neck then roaming his back, trying to get us closer together. Edward pulled me closer with his hands low on my back. I could feel him pressing into my stomach. He held me tight for a moment before slowly backing away, breaking our kiss. "You'll be the death of me, Bella."

He moved further away from me and as I walked towards him, he asked me to wait. "What's wrong?" He shook his head and chuckled. "Nothing love, I just need a few minutes to calm down. It's a little painful to walk right now." He gestured to his pants where his arousal was pretty noticeable. A soft laugh escaped me. "Sorry," I said, not that I was, he was not the only one suffering because he stopped us.

Once we made it back to the house, I tried to start things back up, but Edward stopped us again. "Bella, please… I'm trying to be a gentleman." I moved to give him space.

"Please, Edward." I felt like I would die if I couldn't at least touch him. "Will you at least stay with me tonight?"

I could see his resolve crumbling. "That's not a good idea, love."

"Please," I begged. I walked closer and placed my hand over his heart. "We are leaving tomorrow and Alice and Jasper will be at your house when we get back and then the girls will be home. This is our last night alone. I promise to be good. I just want to _sleep_ with you."

He shook his head, groaning, and I knew I had won.

"Fine sweet girl, but we are just going to be sleeping."

He left me to get ready for bed while he went up to change. I went into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth before pulling on a tank top and sleep shorts. I was just putting my hair up into a ponytail when Edward walked into my room wearing pajama pants and a sleeveless tee. We settled into bed and I turned off the bedside lamp before curling into his side. "Goodnight, love," he said as he kissed my temple.

"Night, Edward."

oooo

I was woken up later by kisses trailing up my stomach, my top having been pushed up just under my breasts. Edward was hovering over me holding me down by my hips. "Edward?" He moved up to my lips, kissing me. "God Bella, you've been driving me mad, love." He started kissing across my jaw to my neck and down while settling his body on top of mine. I moved my legs apart to give him more room as he pressed his hips into me.

"What? How was I driving you crazy?" Edward seemed to have lost his control and was beyond speech at that moment. He was grinding against me and sucking and nipping my neck. His hands were roaming over my body until they brushed over my breasts, then he took his time, cupping and molding his hands to each breast and rolling my nipples with his fingers. The sensations he was giving me were so strong, I felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff about to jump. Each time he thrust himself against me, hitting just so, coiled the rope of desire sitting in my stomach tighter and tighter.

I was moaning, writhing against him, "Ed- Edward…" his breathing was much heavier, panting. "That's right baby, it's okay, just let go. Please Bella, come with me."

The coil snapped and lights exploded behind my eyes, I clung to Edward as he stiffened above me, groaning. He collapsed against me, moving away moments later going to the bathroom. I just lay there trying to absorb what had taken place.

It had been an incredible experience, but with the exception of my tank top shoved up my chest we had been fully clothed. If it was that great with our clothes on, surely actually making love with Edward was going to kill me.

He walked out of the bathroom and climbed back into bed looking both satisfied as well as a little sheepish. "Are you alright, love?"

I smiled and snuggled into his side again. "Never better. Umm, don't take this the wrong way, but what brought that on?"

I felt the laugh rumble out of his chest. "Oh Bella… I thought I was going to go crazy. First you started talking, just saying my name, but then you started telling me where to touch you and how much you wanted to do certain things… I knew I was going to die before the night was over. I tried to get out of bed, but then you were running you hands over me and I was lost."

Oh. My. God. I'm a sleep slut. I was touching Edward, fondling him, in my sleep? I felt my face flush with embarrassment. "I'm, I just don't know what to say. I didn't realize… I'm so sorry, Edward."

He leaned over me, shaking his head. "No baby, please don't be sorry, I'm not. Being with you is incredible, though I do think we may kill each other when I finally get inside of you." I blushed and he kissed me one last time, before lying back on the bed. I laughed to myself thinking we had the exact same thought.

I slept deeply the rest of the night, only waking when Edward kissed my forehead. "Good morning, love. I have breakfast for you." He had brought a tray filled with coffee, orange juice, a bowl of fruit and two plates with omelets and toast. We sat in bed eating breakfast and enjoying the morning. After cleaning the dishes and straightening the kitchen, I stripped the bed and washed the sheets as Edward got our bags together and loaded the car.

We stopped for lunch in Port Angeles, taking our time, so we didn't make it back to Forks until late in the afternoon. Alice and Jasper were no where to be seen when we walked into the house. Edward helped me bring all of my purchases up to my room.

I wasn't sure what it was, but there seemed to be some sore of negative charge in the house. I just had a bad feeling something was wrong or was going to happen.

He must have noticed, because Edward gave me a worried look while placing the bags on the bed. "Are you okay?" I nodded, "Yeah, I just got a weird feeling, it's nothing. So, what are we doing tonight?"

He took my hand lacing his fingers in mine. "I need to work on my music, but if you can stay out of trouble I'll let you listen." He kissed my temple and then led us into the studio.

I sat down on the sofa, in the corner of his studio, reading a book while he worked on a few arrangements for the film score. I'm not sure how much time passed before he started that same melody I heard before we left for Seattle.

"That's really lovely, Edward." He smiled as he continued playing. "It's yours."

My jaw dropped. "What?" He looked up and motioned me over to the piano. "I wrote it for you… well its more about how you make me feel." He pulled me across his lap, playing the melody once again. "I'm feeling alive again Bella, because of you."

I leaned up for a kiss, but we were interrupted by a throat clearing. Alice stood in the doorway. "Hey Alice, sorry we didn't hear you come in." I moved to get up, but Edward just held me in place.

"What's up sis?"

"Jasper and I picked up a couple of pizzas for dinner, and I just wanted to let you know incase you were hungry." She smiled at us, and then said she was heading back downstairs. Edward let out a laugh as she closed the door. "Well at least she didn't try to move you this time." After eating dinner we all sat outside playing cards. I gave up after losing to Alice for the fifth time. "She has to be cheating, no one is that good."

I went up to bed as Edward went back into the studio to record. I woke the next morning with Edward wrapped around me. I knew I shouldn't get used to it, because the girls would be home the following day and I didn't want them to feel weird about their father sleeping bed with me. We had been so happy the last few days that we had not really broached the subject of how to deal with Kate and Irina, as well as what to say to his family, forget how I was supposed to say anything to my father. Charlie Swan would blow a gasket. I knew we had some serious discussions that needed to happen, but I just wanted to live inside our bubble for another day.

I turned over to watch Edward. He looked so young and carefree when he was asleep. He didn't look his age at all. He would be 30 the next week. I started thinking about what I could give him. I was so lost in thought I didn't see him open his eyes. "Morning, beautiful, sleep well?"

"um hmm." He smiled, "Are you ready to get up?" "uh-uh"

A laugh was bubbling in his chest, "Can you use actual words this morning?"

"Nope," I laughed.

"Come on, sleepy girl, let's get dressed. I want to take you back to the meadow."

We got up and dressed. Edward took a backpack into the kitchen and packed enough food for a small army along with several bottles of water.

"I thought we were just going to the meadow, not running away." After putting a blanket in the bag, he zipped it and put it on, then taking my hand we left out the back door.

"Just want to make sure we won't have to rush back to the house for a while."

We spent the day, just lying there in the middle of the meadow. There were no discussions about what was in the future; we just existed in the moment.

Later that evening Jasper and Edward fired up the grill while Alice filled me in on the apartment they found, Jasper's job hunt and what she had finally decided to do with the store.

"You make him happy, Bella. He hasn't been this happy in a long time, I think even before Tanya died."

"He makes me happy, Ali. I know you are worried, and I know we have some major things against us, but I'm hopeful we can work it all out."

After eating, Edward went up into the studio, Alice and Jasper went to sit in front of the fire, and I curled up in the loveseat on the deck. I must have fallen asleep there because when I opened my eyes I was in my bed and Edward was sleeping beside me. I was just in my shirt from the night before and panties, Edward in his boxers. It was early still, the sun barely shining. I put my around his waist, kissing his chest. A small smile appeared on his face, so I shifted placing another kiss over his heart before trailing feather light kisses down his chest and stomach. He moved against me and I could feel his body's reaction. "Bella" I looked up to see his dark emerald eyes piercing into my soul.

"Good morn…" was all I was able to say before he pulled me up against him and smothered my words with his mouth.

"mmmmm" I moaned as Edward ran his hands up under my shirt. He lifted my arms and removed my shirt leaving me in just my underwear. "God Bella, you're so beautiful." He pulled my hips down onto his, holding me close as he flipped us over. He was grinding into me over and over.

"Please Edward, please?" I was on fire, aching for relief, begging him for more.

He leaned back, looking into my eyes. "Are you sure, love?" I moved my hips against him, "Yes. Please Edward, please hurry."

Edward trailed one of his hands down my stomach, hesitating before touching me where I burned for him, first over the cotton then he pushed my underwear aside, sliding one finger through my folds. "Oh love, you are so ready for me." I was trying to hold on with all my strength as he slipped first one then two fingers into me. I lost it then screaming his name as I came. Edward whispered to me as I floated down from that high, and I felt him pulling my underwear down my legs. "My Bella… you are so perfect." I was trying to pull him closer while also trying to remove his boxers. He finally stood to remove them, freeing his erection. He looked big, standing there, and I was really hoping this wouldn't hurt.

Edward was looking at me, caressing me with his eyes. He has just settled back on top of me when he jerked away. "Wait…Bella, I don't have, I haven't bought any... we can't do this baby, I don't have anything here to protect you."

"It's okay, Edward. I've been on the pill for a while now." I kissed him gently. He looked at me, asking again, "Are you sure this is what you want?"

I wrapped my legs around him pulling him closer. "Absolutely."

He positioned himself and slowly pushed into me. There was a slight burning along with a feeling of being full, but no pain at all. "Ugh, you feel so good, so tight." Edward looked at me, "Are you alright? Am I hurting you?" I kissed his shoulder, "I'm fine, no pain." He gave me time to adjust to the feel of him, but as soon as I shifted against him seeking more, he began to move.

It was overwhelming, being this close to the person you love. Feeling him move inside me, I was feeling like I was flying, the pleasure was so intense. He kept driving me higher and higher.

"Bella, baby, are you close? I don't think I will last long. Please, baby I want you to come with me." He brushed a finger down over my bundle of nerves and it pushed me over the edge. I tightened around him calling his name, just as Edward came. I could feel him pulsing as he kissed me deeply. It felt as if we were one being. Edward moved off of me and was moving out of bed saying, "Don't move love; let me take care of you." He walked, naked, into the bathroom. I heard water running in the sink, and then Edward was walking towards me with a washcloth. He gently cleaned between my legs. I felt the heat of the blush all the way down my body. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about, love. I'm supposed to take care of you." He put the cloth back in the bathroom and then climbed back into bed.

We lay there just kissing and caressing each other. Time got away from us, and that is when our bubble of happiness burst.

ooo

We were in the midst of a deep kiss, Edward was between my legs rocking against me, working up for another round, when we hear Alice shouting downstairs. "No, Rini, come back." Edward sat back and was trying to find the covers when the door to the bedroom burst open. He managed to cover us, but it was too late. She had already seen us together. She gave me a hate filled glare before running back out the door and down the stairs.

Edward was pulling on his pants, trying to hurry after her. I didn't know what to do. I knew if Irina was here it meant that Carlisle and Esme were back and that Kate was downstairs waiting on me. I pulled on clothes, pulling my hair up and then walked down to the kitchen.

Katie rushed over to me throwing herself into my arms. "Careful Kate, you don't want to knock Bella over." Carlisle admonished her. I swung her up in my arms. "That's ok. I've missed you, monkey." She wrapped her arms and legs around me squeezing me tight. "I've missed you, Bella. We had sooo much fun, didn't we Grandpa?" Carlisle was the only other person in the kitchen. There was no sign of Edward or Irina. "We certainly did pumpkin. How are you Bella?" He gave me a kind smile as he looked at Kate in my arms.

"I'm okay. Do you know where…"

Carlisle interrupted. "He's in the studio with Irina and Esme. I think it may be a while."

I thanked him and still holding Kate we walked into the den. "What would you like to do Miss Katie?" She just held on and whispered in my ear, "Can I just sit with you?"

"Sure sweetheart, why don't we read more of Junie B. Jones?" I hated admitting to myself that I needed the reassurance her contact gave me. I shouldn't have to depend on a seven year old. We had been reading for almost an hour when Alice and Jasper joined us. Alice asked Kate if she would like to go up to the playroom and play dress up with her. "Is Bella coming too?" I told her I would be up a little later. I had a feeling there were things the family needed to say and it was apparently going to start with Jasper.

"Bella," he started, "both Alice and I are so sorry we didn't stop Irina from going upstairs. She ran straight into Ed's room when they walked in, and by the time we realized he wasn't there she was already passed the second floor landing."

Well that answered that question; everyone knew he had been in her room.

I didn't know how to respond so I remained quiet. It wasn't until Esme came down at noon to make lunch that anything else was said to me. She walked over and gave me a hug telling me that both girls were in the playroom. I nodded in acknowledgement, before asking in a voice _I_ could barely hear, "Where's Edward?"

"I'm here, Bella." I turned to see him standing in the doorway dressed in the jeans he ran out in and a button down shirt. He held out a hand for me, "Come walk with me?"

Hope flared in my chest that everything was going to be ok, but as we walked the trail leading towards the meadow, I could feel something was wrong. Edward stopped about halfway up the trail, where there were several fallen logs off to the side and led me over to one.

I tried to catch his gaze, but he would only look at the ground near his feet.

"Edward, honey, please look at me."

He met my gaze then and what was there was enough to cause my legs to buckle. I hit the ground for the first time when Edward was was disconnected again. He looked like he did weeks ago, when Irina had her outburst. After the week we just spent together and after what we did together that morning, I couldn't take the distance. I stood up and walked over to him. I moved to hug him, but Edward caught my arms and backed away.

"Bella, we need to talk. This… this has all been a huge mistake. I've been thinking only about myself when I should have been thinking of the welfare of my children. I'm sorry, but Irina and Kate have to come first."

"Of course Edward, I understand that. We can just explain to Rini…"

He gave me a cutting look, "You don't understand Bella. None of this should have happened. This morning never should have happened, never would have, if only I had kept my promise to stay away from you." He paced back and forth a few times before standing in front of me again. "Look, I care for you, but my children will always be my first priority."

My heart was breaking. I had never heard him be this cold.

"You're young, you are leaving soon for school and you will meet other guys. They can be what you want, I can't. This situation is no good for me. I can work here with the girls until school starts, then I'll work my schedule around them. We do not require your help any longer."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, I felt like I was stuck in a nightmare.

"No, you are just saying all of this because of Irina. Edward she'll calm down, that's what Maggie is always saying, isn't it? I can't just leave the girls Edward. Maybe Irina is mad at me, but I spent a couple of hours this morning with Kate in my arms because she missed me. You expect me to leave and never talk to them again?"

"I'll explain it to them; tell them you had to leave for school earlier than you planned. Don't worry about them." He turned away from me then.

"This isn't all about Irina either, Bella. She just helped remind me of why I didn't want this to begin with. It never would have lasted Bella, we could have fun together for the next few weeks, but the moment you left for school, it would still be over. I'm just saving us from further complications."

I sat back on the log staring at his back. There was a gaping hole forming in my chest.

"Pack you belongings Bella and go home. Take the next several weeks, until you start school, with pay. When it's time, you'll go to school meet someone, fall in love and get married. Do this Bella, because you'll never have any of that with me."

With those words he left me sitting in the forest. I don't know where he went, but I just sat there waiting for him to turn around, tell me he was only joking, but of course that didn't happen. I'm not sure how long I sat there, but when the sun started moving behind the trees I got up and slowly walked back to the house. I climbed the stairs to my room and robotically packed my belongings. Carlisle and Jasper helped me get everything into my truck. Jasper told me to call him if I ever needed anything, and Carlisle gave me a hug telling me he was sorry. As I got into the truck, Carlisle handed me an envelope that had my name written across it in Edward's handwriting. I shoved it into my backpack and drove away from the Cullens.

Mom and Dad had not gotten back from their trip yet, and for that I was grateful.

I grabbed my backpack, leaving everything else in the truck and dragged myself into the house and up to my old bedroom.

I finally let myself breakdown, crying and screaming that it wasn't fair. He expected me to be able to just go on, like nothing had happened. It wasn't just Edward I was losing, but a whole other family, especially Kate and Irina. We just returned from Seattle, we had been all over the UW campus. How was I supposed to move on with my life when he was everywhere? I would see him wherever I went in Seattle.

I had a huge gaping wound in my chest where my heart used to be. I knew that this was because Irina was upset, and no I would never blame her, she's only a child. Edward, however, seized it as the excuse he needed for an out.

I lay awake in my bed all night. My cell phone rang almost constantly for several hours, I had messages from Esme, Alice, Katie, and Edward, but I ignored them all.

My parents were due in late the next day, so I spent the hours late into the night making decisions, I only hoped that my slot had not been filled.

By the time Mom and Dad walked into the house, I had spoken with Stanford and UW. Stanford still had an open slot and would be expecting me in 3 weeks. I also informed the UW admissions office I would not be attending this Fall.

I knew my parents were going to think I was crazy turning down a full scholarship in exchange for student loans, but there was no way I could be on that campus. I wouldn't be able to be there knowing that he could drop in at his parents at anytime, to be that close and not see him. No I couldn't go to Seattle. Stanford was just where I needed to be.

I kept the exact reasons why I decided against UW to myself, but told my parents my plans to attend Stanford. Mom was worried about the whys, but Dad was more concerned with how school would be paid. I had my savings from working. It wasn't large, but I also had a small inheritance from my Grandma Higgenbottom. That was enough to cover at least the first semester, giving me time to get loans to cover the rest.

Over the next few days we discussed it a lot, but as I had already informed UW I was not going to attend the only other alternative would be Peninsula Community College, and I was not going to stay anywhere near Forks. Mom helped me transfer my accounts from the small Forks Bank and Trust to Bank of America; I knew the larger bank would make my life much easier in California. We went into Port Angeles to buy what I would need for the dorm and have it shipped. I wouldn't be driving the Beast down to Cali; I think we all knew it wouldn't survive the trip, so I was flying out in a week. Angela was upset that we wouldn't be roommates, and as I didn't tell her why, she was confused about my going to Stanford. I couldn't talk about it and if I sat still too long it would hurt too much, so I just kept my mind occupied. I was packing clothes to take with me on the plane after boxing everything else up and sending it with my father to ship to the dorm, when I finally decided to go through my backpack. I had not touched it since I returned home.

I found the envelope I had shoved in there and lay it on the bed. There were a couple of dirty shirts that I pulled out along with the UW hoodie I bought. I decided to give it to Angie, but when I opened it, I realized it wasn't the shirt I bought but a man's shirt, it was worn and soft, I held it up and knew it was Edward's. Cullen was printed across the back. I felt like I had been punched in the gut.

I sat on the bed holding the shirt to my nose. I could smell him, and that brought the tears raining down my face. I looked at the envelope, not wanting to open it, but also needing to see what he said.

_Bella, _

_I've enclosed a check for your last week's pay as well as enough to cover the next few weeks. Take it, please. Use it for school, isn't that the reason you took a job in the first place?_

_I promise not to bother you anymore, but I do want to ask one thing of you. Please be careful while you are away, don't do anything foolish, nothing to make your parents worry._

_Take care._

_Edward_

There was a check for $20, 000 in the envelope. My paychecks added up were not even a 10th of that. What was I supposed to do with it? I didn't want it, but it would, make the transition to California that much easier.

In the end I did what Edward asked in the letter, I would use it for school.

**OoOoO**

_**I'll be behind the sofa if you need me. We'll hear from Charlie next chapter. I think it'll be fun. Let me know what you think, leave a review.**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**AN: This is a short one, but Charlie needed to have his say. Next chapter is already in the works, and we are firmly back in the present now. **_

_**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.**_

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 11 - What did she say?

Charlie POV

_Previously:_

_Charlie looked me straight in the eye when he asked the one question I know he's been dying to ask._

"_Who is it Bella? Who is Riley's father?"_

_I matched Charlie's gaze, but could only whisper the answer._

"_Edward is. Edward Cullen."_

OoOoO

Sitting in my living room, listening to my baby girl telling me that not only is her marriage over, but that she had had an affair that resulted in my grandson's birth, all I wanted to do was say, '_What the fuck?_' But since I am her father and I am a grandfather, I simply nod my head at her and reassure Bella that I will always love her.

Then she has to throw that last curve ball at me. Edward Cullen, Edward _freaking_ Cullen, again I'm internally saying 'WTF?' That _man_ is the father of my grandson? I mean come on; he has daughters that are not much younger than Bella was when she went to work for his late wife.

Look, he's a decent guy. I never had a problem with Edward or his family. They were really great to not only Bella, but Renee and I as well when she was first diagnosed.

The only issue I ever had was when Bella moved in after Tanya passed. I know she was only there a few months working as the nanny, but she was good with those girls. I realize now that watching Bella with Kate and Irina Cullen, I witnessed the beginnings of what Mama Bear Bella looked like. She was so much like Renee.

We wondered why she stopped working for Edward without letting us know she was done there. She told us that he wanted her to concentrate on getting ready for school and they really didn't need her any longer. She was upset about not seeing Kate and Irina anymore, she had grown so attached to them, but she knew it would be that way when she left for college.

I had always assumed that her abrupt change in colleges had been because of something with Jake. I may not have always been the most observant and attentive father, but I remember how she avoided Jake for a while before breaking up with him. There had to have been something wrong there, right? She seemed happier after Jake, but the girl that sat before Renee and I after we returned from my conference, that girl looked like she had been devastated by something. She was trying to mask her feelings, of course. She is _my_ daughter after all, where'd you think she got it from?

We worried, but she had already cancelled her scholarship, so there was nothing we could do to stop her, so we supported her. Renee and I did spend many sleepless nights before she left for school, as well a few after, truth be told. I had wanted to confront her, but `Nee knew it would only make it more difficult for Bella and that she'd hurt to know we were worrying. _'She'll come to us eventually, Charlie. We just need to be patient.'_

I'm wondering now if she finally had. Was it possible that there had been something between Bella and Edward Cullen back then? God, I hate to even think about that. I would definitely have to introduce his balls to my shotgun then.

My girl managed just fine in California though. She worked hard and stayed on the Dean's List. She seemed happier when she came home for Winter Break. We spent Christmas Day in La Push with the Blacks and I thought things would be awkward between Bella and Jacob, but they fell back into an easy friendship. Renee told me they had been writing letters and calling each other for several weeks prior to the break.

I was cautiously optimistic, hoping that if nothing else they could regain the friendship they had lost for a time. I saw more of Jacob Black that next summer than I ever planned on. The boy was a semi-permanent fixture at our house. I even checked with Billy on one of our fishing trips, just to make sure he hadn't thrown him out. Billy told me the only time he got to see Jake was when he was sleeping at night in his room.

I finally started to relax about Bella then, knowing she was happy. I wasn't the least bit surprised when during Winter Break Jake told me he was going to ask Bella to marry him. I mentioned that I hoped they would wait until after they graduated to get married, but wouldn't stand in their way if they did it before. They gave us the news Christmas morning, so Renee, Billy and I threw them a huge party on New Years Eve to celebrate. I think the entire town was there to celebrate the happy news. They decided not to wait to get married, so Renee and Bella planned the wedding for that summer. Jake transferred to San Jose State to be with Bella and they had found an apartment to rent that was between the two universities, promising they weren't going to get sidetracked from finishing school.

The 4th of July was always a big event down at First Beach, Bella and Jake's wedding just added to the festivities. Billy and I laughed, happy that we were actually family now.

My sweet Renee, she had such hard time letting Bella go. They spent the last few days leading up to the wedding having some mystical spa treatment or another. I cried like a baby walking Bella down the aisle to the man I thought she'd be with forever. Now she's telling me she loved Jake but had never been _in love _with him, what the…?

"Sorry, Bells what did you say?" She was looking at me like she thought I needed my head examined.

"Are you alright, Dad?"

"Sure, honey, why wouldn't I be?"

It's not like everything I thought I knew as fact turned out to be fiction.

"I know it's a lot to take in Dad. I'm not proud of myself. I just want to do what is right for Riley. Edward deserves to know the truth, whether he decides to be in Riley's life or not, I have to tell him the truth about this."

I knew that Bella would not have a smooth transition back into Forks life. She had her plan, and a job to help out, but part-time work wasn't going to pay all her bills. I would help her as much as I could, well as much as she'd let me, but it wouldn't be easy on her. I was a realist and Forks was a small town. I knew that once the news got around about her divorce from Jake the gossiping would start and once the parentage of Riley was out there, Bella would be facing a major backlash from the community. Not just her, either, but Edward and his family as well. His family has been a large part of our community over the years and with Bella being my daughter, tongues will be wagging for years over it.

My only hope is that nothing ever reaches Riley. He's the most precious person to me, besides Bella. Hopefully she and Edward can come to an arrangement and he will be part of his son's life. I can't see any father turning away from his child. Edward Cullen may have messed around my little girl's heart, but there was no doubt he was a good father. He'll want to be part of Riley's life and _I_ was going to make sure he helped Bella with his care.

I've got so much to do. First I need to find out what Billy knows and if Jake has called him. I'm hoping my friend and I will come through all of this unscathed, but no matter what Bella is my priority.

I was determined to be the best father I could be for Bella, and I was going to support her through this trying time, but I had to know more about this whole situation. I wonder how Renee would have handled this. I bet she would have seen this coming. My wife was always so intuitive about these things.

At least Bella was home now and she's trying to dig herself out of this giant mess. I'm happy she's here and will be building a life in Forks for her son. I'll have to be patient with her for a while and it's probably going to kill me to hear everything, but I need to know the whole story, well stories. I wanted the Bella and Jacob story as well as the Bella and Edward story, especially that one.

I debated luring him down to the station and locking him in a cell until I had the whole story of how he got involved with my daughter, slept with her, got her pregnant and then moved onto someone else so quickly. If I happened to have to point my shotgun at his balls until he spilled his guts, so be it. I know, I know, that's not a good thing for the Chief of Police to do, could damage my career, so maybe I'll get my deputy to do it.

Renee would tell me I'm over stepping my boundaries, but a father has to protect his child somehow.

My Bella was always a strong child and has grown into an even stronger woman. She can take care of herself and Riley, but that does not mean I won't do all I can to help.

Cripes what a mess. You know being a parent never ends. There are those people that tell you that you just have to make it through the first eighteen years, and then you can be free to do what you want. Obviously those people _are not_ real parents, they may have children, but a parent is a parent for life. I won't stop worrying about Bella and now Riley until my last breath.

OoOoO

_**Sooo, what did you think? Did you love Charlie? Next update will be in a week maybe less) Please review and let me know what you think.**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**AN: Bella is here to answer some questions and maybe get a surprise.**_

_**As always, S Meyer owns it all, I'm just borrowing the characters to play in my story. No copyright infringement intended.**_

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 12

House Hunting

BPOV

Telling Charlie had been a nerve wracking ordeal. I didn't tell him everything, but I had to tell him the most important things. I was not proud of myself or what I had done to my life, but I could never regret my son. My only regret is that I have caused my father to be disappointed in me. I had never wanted to disappoint my parents. I knew that returning to Forks was not going to be an easy task, there is just too much of my history here. Everyone knows everyone, and they know me, my family, Jake and his family, and of course the Cullen family.

The news of my upcoming divorce will spread like a wildfire thanks to all the gossips that have nothing better to do. If you live in a small town you need to make sure you have no skeletons in your closet because they will come out. Nothing stays a secret in Forks, well almost nothing. Surprisingly nothing ever came out about what went on between Edward and I before I left for Stanford or about our activities in Seattle when Mom was in the hospital. I knew nothing must have gotten around because if my father had gotten wind of anything I'm pretty sure I'd be in a convent and Edward would be dead. Forks must be good at keeping Cullen secrets, but the town has always known my business. They all knew when Jake and I got back together, got engaged, and now they will know we are divorcing. I really hope we can keep things about Riley quiet, at least until I get a chance to explain to Edward. Kate sent me an email letting me know that her dad would be in town this week.

Yes, I managed to keep in contact with Kate all these years. I tried for a while with Irina, but I don't think she was ever comfortable with me. The only think I didn't do when I left for Stanford was to cut all ties with the girls. Through Esme for a while I was able to send letters and cards to them. Kate would write me once a week, Irina maybe once a month.

They were hurt by my abrupt departure, without a proper goodbye, but after apologizing profusely they did manage to forgive me. I needed the contact with them, even though it brought back the pain of Edward. It took a long time and the help of my friends but the pain started to lessen. I think I owe Jacob the most for my survival of the loss of my first true love.

OoOoO

_The first month of school went by in a blur. My roommate Heidi kept trying to get me to go the first one mixer then another. I either stayed in my room studying or went to the library. Then I received a letter from Jacob. He filled me in on campus life for him, his classes our friends, new people he met. He told me I was missed, but that he was proud of me for going to Stanford. He also asked if we could at least be friends again. I wanted that more than I could ever express. _

_So we wrote letters, sent emails, made phone calls. He was the light in my life again, something to keep me out of my dark depression. He saved me from a panic attack when during my first break home, Mom wanted to go Christmas shopping. I knew that meant a trip into SPARKLE, and there was no way I could do that. I kept putting her off, then called Jake and asked him to take me out, away from the house._

_He showed up right away to get me. We drove out towards First Beach when Jake finally asked me what was going on. After dancing around that question for an hour I finally told him __everything__. _

_He's the only one that I ever told about what happened with Edward. At least he never said 'I told you so.' He was angry at how I was hurt, but he was very supportive._

_Jake did tell me to return the check Edward had given me. I never cashed it, never used it. I did hold onto it as a fall back for emergencies._

_I told Jake not to worry, that I intended to do just that. I had just been awarded an educational grant that would pay my tuition, books and board the rest of the semester, and provided I make the Dean's List the trust will continue to pay my expenses._

_Jake asked about the trust grant and where I had applied for it. I told him my advisor had been given the packet to be filled out, and knew I was looking for financing for the rest of my tuition so he gave it to me. The Pacific Northwest Trust awarded one grant like this each year. I'm grateful I was given it._

_I returned the check along with three others that had been sent to me by Esme, as well as the UW shirt that belonged to Edward. I packed them in a box and sent it from the post office in Port Angeles so that it wouldn't get back to my parents._

_Jake and I spent the remaining time we were on break together. We talked about everything and nothing, just enjoying the fact that our friendship was intact._

_When we returned to our respective schools we upped our communications to emails everyday and phone calls a few times a week. We were completely open with each other and we talked about everything we were doing. He told me about a few girls he had messed around with, but he told me he found one night stands weren't as satisfying as his friends led him to believe and were definitely not for him. I told him that I was not interested in pursuing anything with any of the guys at school, that after the pain of losing Jake's friendship and then losing my heart to Edward only to have it thrown back, I wasn't going to risk my heart again._

_Jake made plans for us the entire summer, and I was all for it. I wanted my mind occupied at all times, and Jake did that. Dad was thrilled that I was going out and that things seemed to be going well with Jake._

_Things with us were comfortable, light, fun. So much so that we spent the last few weeks of summer vacation in each other's beds. (When our fathers weren't around of course.)_

_I cared deeply for Jake, and thought that was all I would ever be able to give anyone. I knew he loved me, but he also knew I didn't think I would be able to love anyone that way. I did discover that regular sex could be a good thing, and Jake proved to be a very passionate and considerate lover._

_Our sophomore years in college made the distance hard, but we spoke often, and Jake surprised me a few times by flying into see me. I wasn't completely surprised when he proposed on New Years Eve. He'd been hinting at it, and planned a beautiful night on the beach. Even though I was not in love with Jake, I loved him. I could see myself happy being his friend, his lover, and his wife. I saw what our life together would be, raising our children, blending our families, and if I felt a twinge of regret that I would have dark haired dark eyed children instead of the auburn haired, green eyed ones I had always pictured, I didn't let it deter me from accepting._

_I think that was actually one of the reasons I wanted to have the wedding quickly. I didn't want to give myself time to think about Edward Cullen, I wanted the option of running to him and begging to be let back into his life, gone. I wanted to move forward in my life with Jake._

_Mom tried to speak to me several times in the weeks leading up to the wedding. She kept saying things like, 'Marriage should never be taken lightly'. 'I hope you have given your heart time to make this commitment.'_

_She wanted me to slow down the wedding, insisting that waiting until we had graduated wouldn't be a bad thing. She even tried as we waited for Quil to come escort Mom to her seat before the wedding. "Bella, are you sure this is what you want? Is Jake really the one you want to pledge your life to?"_

"_Jake is the one for me Mom. We'll be happy, have a nice life together. He loves me, wants to build a family with me."_

_We were happy that day; the ceremony was lovely, on the beach in the late afternoon._

_I only stumbled once when I caught a glimpse of auburn hair and green eyes, but I just smiled wider and pulled Jake closer to me. I wouldn't let Edward know he still had power over my body or my heart._

OoOoO

I shook myself from my reverie. There was much to do in the next few days, but my first priority was always my Riley. I heard his happy gurgling laugh as I got up. He was an early riser, ready to start his day with a smile and a laugh. I turned to get him out of his pack 'n play when I was met with my baby hitting another milestone. Riley was standing in the middle of his play pen and stepped towards me as I turned to him. My baby took his first steps! I squealed, scaring Riley so that he fell down, and causing Charlie to come barreling down the hall.

"Bella? What happened? Are you and Ry ok?"

I was jumping around clapping and laughing. "He WALKED, Dad. Riley walked."

I wanted to shout it to the world. My baby IS WALKING! I slumped onto the bed. I knew Jake would want to know, but would it be adding more salt to his wounds? I'll definitely tell Katie in the next email, but the one I really wanted to share this with didn't even know of Riley's existence, let alone that he should be proud of his son's accomplishment.

"He's growing so fast, Daddy. He's not going to be my baby much longer. He'll go to preschool in a couple of years, then Riley will have friends and go to elementary, then middle and then high school. He's going to meet a girl or a boy and fall in love, he won't need his mommy anymore. I don't want him to grow up and leave me."

Charlie gave me a hug and an understanding smile. "Bella, you have nothing to worry about. Riley isn't going anywhere for a very long time. He's only 10 months old, Bells, give him time to grow his teeth before saying goodbye." He laughed at me. "Sweetheart, every parent feels the same about their child. When your children are little all you think about is what kind of an adult they will grow up to be, and when they are grown, you wish they were little again."

I gave my dad a tight hug. "Thanks, Dad. I know I'm going crazy. Don't feel like you cant say that I am, just do it. You definitely know how to calm me down though."

"No problem, kid. Are you going to call Jake about Riley's steps?" I shook my head.

"Nah, I'll just hurt him more. I've got to get this little monster fed and dressed so we can meet up with Rosalie McCarty about a place to live."

"Bells, baby girl, why won't you just stay here? Save your money. It's expensive raising a child especially on your own and only working part time."

Oh my poor father, so worried that I'm going to have to struggle to support my son.

"We'll be fine Dad. I've been saving most of my salary for the last several years. It was Jake's idea, he wanted to be the sole provider, take care of his wife, his family's needs.

I have enough savings to support us for a while and my new salary will supplement it."

I picked up my sweet baby and after changing his diaper I went down to mix his rice cereal with applesauce and prepare a bottle. I managed to eat some toast and drink a cup of coffee while feeding a squirming Riley, then cleaned us both up. I dressed him in an adorable polo and baby jeans outfit complete with little Converse Chucks. He looked like such a little man. I sat him back in his playpen while I readied myself for the day.

I knew more or less what I was looking for, it was just a question if what I wanted would be available. Rosalie had compiled a list of places for me before Riley was born, really before Riley had been conceived. When I came up to help Mom and Dad, Jake and I had separated and I wanted to live close to them, so I called Rose and asked for her help.

After Mom's funeral, I had gone home simply to ship my belongings and resign from my job. I left for what was supposed to have been only two weeks, but it was a month later when my world was completely turned on its axis.

OoOoO

_I had been back in Sacramento for a few days, when Jake came home from a business trip. He noticed all of the boxes and asked what was going on. "I'm leaving Jake. You knew this. I'm moving back to Forks to be near Dad." He looked shocked. "Bella, honey… I never thought you were serious, I thought you just needed your space, and now that you've had it we can move forward. We can keep trying for a baby."_

_He looked so hopeful, but I had a life to get back to in Forks, a new life and a new chance with Edward. "No Jake, we've both been through this over and over. Please lets go see the lawyer in the morning, get the paperwork started."_

_Jake was hurt but agreed. He said he only ever wanted my happiness. _

_That night on the phone with Edward I told him I felt a little guilty. "He's hurting, and I hate that I'm causing it, but I just want my own happiness. We've wasted too much time, don't you think?" I told him I would be leaving in a few weeks after giving my notice and waiting for some papers from the lawyer._

_Edward was going to LA for a few days and would be tied up in meetings, but promised to call me by the weekend. After a few long goodbyes over the phone we hung up. _

That was the last I had heard from him. He never called me back, and didn't answer my calls to him. I called Kate the next week and asked her what her dad was up to.

"_Hey Bella! I'm really missing you right now. Dad is getting Shelly moved in, she's nothing like you. Why aren't you here with us, Bella? I thought Dad said you were moving back."_

_I didn't know what to make of what Kate had said. Who was Shelly and why was she moving in with Edward? My stomach turned so I got off the phone, not knowing anything else, and not being able to stomach the reasons behind it. After I cleaned myself up, I tried Edward's cell again, getting voicemail. I wasn't able to get through to the house again until the next evening. Irina answered that time. "Hey Rini, is your dad around? I really need to speak to him." She was quiet for a minute and I thought perhaps my cell had dropped the call. "He's not here, Bella. He took Shelly to dinner."_

"_Katie mentioned her, who is she?" Rini laughed, "Dad met her last week after LA and they hit it off, she's living here now. She's nice, a few years older than Dad, but she's helped him a lot. He had to go out of town and she stayed with us. I think he's finally found the one he's ready to move on from Mom with." I felt like I had been sucker punched. "Listen I need to talk to him, will you please tell him to call me when he gets in?" _

"_Sure, Bells. I got it. Hope you and Jake are well. Tell him I said 'Hi.' Bye, now."_

_I never heard from Edward, and it was a week later that I learned I was pregnant. I knew there was no way it was Jake's baby. We had stopped having sex a month before I left for Forks, and I wasn't planning to sleep with him again._

OoOoO

I still can't believe 20 months later that Edward was so callus towards me again. I thought we had talked through everything, all the lies and half truths had come out. We were supposed to start over. Instead he found someone he was ready to move on with, and it was not me. Jake had to have known there was a large chance Riley wasn't his. If he was, then I was two months past my due date when Ry was born. It makes me wonder sometimes how much he knew all along.

I drove into the town square and parked in front of McCarty Realty. I was taking a risk, as Rose's office was two doors down from _SPARKLE_. So far only Rose and Katie knew I was in town, but that would soon change. I just wasn't ready to run into Alice or Edward just yet. I grabbed my messenger bag that doubled as my diaper bag, and then lifted Riley from his seat. "Let's go see Miss Rose, baby. It's time to find a home for us."

I walked into the nicely furnished office and approached the receptionist. "Hi, I'm Bella Black, I have an appointment with Mrs. McCarty at 10 o'clock."

"Just one moment, Ms. Black, I'll get Rosalie for you." The woman hurried into the other office. Minutes later I heard, "Bella! God, look at you. You've grown into such a beautiful woman. Who is this handsome little guy? He's just precious." I smiled and leaned in to hug Rosalie. It was a little difficult with Riley and Rose's large baby belly getting in the way.

"Rose, you are glowing. How much longer do you have?"

Rosalie smiled and patted he stomach, "I've got a little over 8 weeks, just long enough for Emmett to drive me crazy trying to do everything for me. May I hold him, Bella?"

Riley was mesmerized by Rose, he went to her without a fuss, patting her ample chest.

"He really likes boobs. He's such a typical boy, it's scary how some things are just born in them."

"I know, I really hope this one is a girl. I can't imagine two Emmetts in my house. So you're interested in looking for houses? I have a few pulled for you to look at, will you need to show Jake, is he here with you, or should we email the info to him?"

She looked like she was searching for a specific answer, so I guess it was time to let the cat out of the bag. "Jake won't be moving here. We're getting divorced."

Rose gave me a sympathetic look, but said no more on the subject. We went over what I really wanted, verses what would be available, and in my price range. Riley sat in my lap playing with my keys as Rose and I talked.

We took my car over to a few properties that were not going to work, when she pulled one last property profile out for me to see.

"There is one more Bella that I think you will like. It's an older cobblestone cottage that has been completely renovated. It has two bedrooms plus a small room that could be an office. The neighborhood is great, young families are moving in as the older residents are leaving."

I drove to the address she gave me. The house was adorable. It resembled a Cape Cod style house, with a stone façade. Rosalie led the way into the house, and then took Riley from me so I could explore. "The steps lead up to the master suite. It takes up the entire floor. There is a door in the kitchen that leads down to a partially finished basement, and the second bedroom and office are on the main floor here."

It wasn't large, but really just perfect for me and Riley. We walked out onto the back deck off the kitchen. "Rose, this house is fabulous. Why hasn't anyone else taken it?"

"The owners just finished the remodel and had leased it out before as a short term vacation rental, but they choose to be very selective with whom they show the house.

They are an active couple; are very family oriented and always have cookouts when the weather permits. The owners of this house are your neighbors." She pointed to the house next door. "I'm sure they would be happy to have a young mother next door, as they are expecting their own child soon." She was just smiling.

"You seem to like them, Rosalie. Are you sure they wouldn't mind renting this house to a mother with a little boy that's starting to toddle around. He'll probably draw on the walls at some point."

Rose shook her head. "That's what Magic Erasers are for. Em and I would be so happy of you took the house. It'll be great having you next door." Rose was in a full belly laugh at my expression.

"Why didn't you just say that you had a house that I might be interested in?"

We were climbing back into the car and driving back to the office as I asked that question. "Honestly, Bella, I wasn't sure you'd really go through with the move this time. After getting our hopes up before that you and Edward had finally gotten your heads out of your asses… I just wanted to make certain you were doing this."

I drove back to the office and helped Rose out of the car before unlatching a sleeping Riley. "Let's get those papers signed and I'll get little man home for is lunch."

I was just signing the last section of the lease when Rosalie started in on questions I want sure I could answer.

"What happened, Bella? I know about what Ed did to make you leave for school, but Em spoke to him right after you got together in Seattle a couple of years ago. Edward was like he had been before Tanya died. Happy, optimistic, the old Edward we hadn't seen in years. We had that list of properties you wanted to look at, then you left to go back to California, told me you'd be back in a few weeks after you moved your things and quit your job, then … nothing. For weeks we heard nothing then your dad starts telling everyone you're pregnant, making him a Grandpa. Edward was a wreck. Please tell me what happened."

"What? What do you mean Edward was a wreck? He knew I was pregnant? He never returned my calls. I left lots of messages, then Kate and Irina said he had moved some woman in, and Rini said they were dating, he'd found the woman he needed to move on with. Rosalie, when I left for Sacramento after Mom's funeral, I was only going back to settle things with my job, pack my belongings and start the divorce proceedings. The last I heard from Edward was about a week after I got home. I tried to reach him several times the next week, and never got through. Kate told me Shelly was living with them, and then Irina told me Edward loved her. I thought he had changed his mind again."

Rose looked confused, "Shelly? Shelly Cope? Bella she's their housekeeper. She was hired by Esme to stay with the kids if Edward had to go out of town. She's been around since you went off to school just to clean the house and watch the girls. Shelly is at least 60, Bella. Edward doesn't love her, at least not that way. As a matter of fact I don't think he's been on more than a handful of dates since Tanya died and you left."

"No. Why didn't he call me then? Why not answer his phone or emails. I tried Rose. I had so much to tell him. If I had known I would have been back here right away. I have always wanted him, the only reason I stayed in California is because I didn't want to be alone during my pregnancy."

"It sounds like you two had a massive miscommunication. Please go see him, Bella. He's not seeing anyone. Em can't even get him drunk without hearing about how miserable Ed is without you."

Oh my God. Is it possible? He's going to truly hate me then when I tell him about Riley.

"It's my fault. If only I had… I should have driven back here to make sure, I should have moved back no matter what. We could have been a family all this time. How do I tell him now without him hating me? " Riley stirred on my shoulder, lifting his head. "Hi sweetie. You ready for lunch?" Riley wasn't paying any attention to me. He was focused at something behind me. Rose coughed and looked towards the door. "Hey."

"Emmett asked me to bring lunch over to you. I hope Weber's chicken salad is fine."

The voice that had been haunting my sleep filled my ears. I looked over my shoulder and saw his face. Edward was looking at Riley with pain filled eyes. Riley smiled and batted his eye lashes at him. "Mammamammaaa" He was excited and hitting my shoulder, not realizing the tension in the room.

"Hello Edward. How have you been?"

"Bella…what was it you needed to tell me?" Edward wasn't looking at me, he was still staring at Riley, at his great big expressive, emerald green eyes. Eyes just like his father's.

OoOoO

_**So… Bella has a new place to live. Rose knows she's getting divorced, Edward doesn't have a girlfriend and they seem to have had major communication issues. Edward's POV is next.**_

_**Please let me know what you think. Leave a review.**_


	14. Chapter 14 RegretsReunions&Realizations

**_AN: So finally we are getting an EPOV. Now you can see where his mind was during the past 8 years._**

**_Disclaimer: All Twilight references belong to Stephenie Meyer. I am just borrowing them for my story. No copyright infringement intended._**

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 13

Regrets, Reunions and Realizations

**EPOV**

The gossip grapevine in a small town never ceases to amaze me. I had just walked into Weber's to get a coffee and place an order for lunch when I heard a name I had tried so hard not to think of the last 18 months, "Bella". Mrs. Weber was deep in conversation with another customer, so of course I pretended not to listen as I caught snippets. _"She's going to be working for Eric down at the WEEKLY."_And _"Angela is helping to get her published. Have you seen that baby of hers? So adorable."_

Hearing about the baby caused an unbearable ache in my chest. I told Mrs. Weber I would be right back and rushed out of the door.

After all we had done and said to each other, all the talks about what had really happened 8 years before, the plans they made together…she had gone back to _him_. She had his baby. Was everything that transpired between them just an elaborate way to get revenge for the hurt he caused her before she left for college?

That had been the biggest mistake of my life, letting her go thinking he didn't want her, love her, need her. I never should have let her go all those years ago.

OoOoO

Tanya had been the one that wanted to move to the little town of Forks, Washington to raise our girls. She loved the idea of a close community.

"_It will be so wonderful for Kate and Irina to grow up in a town where everyone knows you."_

That reasoning is what led to my downfall_._

I had always been drawn to Bella. There was this undercurrent of electricity that flowed between us, but not only was I eleven years her senior, but I was also an extremely happily married man. Nothing was ever going to come from our connection. I wasn't the type of man that would cheat on his family.

When Tanya died, I wanted to die as well. I don't remember much of the first few weeks after the accident, but I remember feeling that electrical charge and knowing Bella was nearby. That just added to my grief and guilt. I sat there a broken man, my wife dead and I had developed feelings for my teenage babysitter. I was the worst kind of man.

After starting counseling with Liam, I spoke to him about what I was feeling for Bella. The guilt I felt about growing dependant on her. I was a 29 year old man having inappropriate thoughts about an 18 year old girl.

Liam assured me that it was normal to have such thoughts as long as I wasn't acting on them._"Edward you may be grieving for your wife, but you are still a man. Of course you are going to react to a young beautiful woman living in your house. Give yourself time, don't rush into anything."_

I thought I had gotten a handle on my thoughts and feelings about Bella, until I answered the phone in the early morning hours after the high school prom.

_OoO_

The phone rang pulling me from a dream.

"_Hello?"_

The crying on the end of the line snapped me awake_. "Bella? What's wrong?"_

After she told me what happened and where she was, I rushed to get to her, ready to murder her boyfriend. I didn't know exactly what had happened, but that she needed me was enough. I wanted to take her into my arms and never let go, protect her from the world. She insisted that he hadn't raped her and that she didn't want to go to the hospital, she didn't want Charlie to find out.

I took her back to the house, but checked on her repeatedly throughout the day, sending Mom in with lunch and to try to get her to talk. I knew I shouldn't have gone into her room that night.

I had been working in my studio when I heard her scream. It was such a heartbreaking sound. I rushed into her room and saw her thrashing around. I tried shaking her, calling out to her to wake her up, but nothing was helping. I lay down beside her and pulled her into my arms, speaking softly trying to soothe her while holding her still. She calmed almost immediately. I kissed her hair, soothing her with whispered words that she was safe, no one would hurt her.

I jolted awake when I heard a door slam. At first I didn't know where I was. Shit, I had fallen asleep in Bella's room. Thankfully she was still asleep, so I eased away from her and out the door. My parents were up and getting their bags ready to head home. We had gotten into a nice routine with them coming to visit on the weekends.

Just before my parents left, Rini threw herself against my mother begging them to let her live with them.

She had seen me in Bella's room and thought I was replacing her mommy. I tried to console Irina and explained that I had merely fallen asleep in there after calming Bella down after her nightmare. I didn't want anything I did to affect my children, so I distanced myself from Bella. I tried to distance myself from her anyway, but the pull was too strong.

When Bella broke up with Jacob, I felt like it was a sign that we were meant to be together. Unfortunately some members of my family didn't understand my feelings.

Alice made her displeasure abundantly clear._"Edward, you can't possibly have a relationship with her. Bella is a teenager, she's leaving for college at the end of the summer and you'll be left here raising your daughters."_

I knew she was only trying to help me, but Alice just didn't understand that what I was feeling was stronger than anything I had ever felt before. As awful as it was to admit, I felt a deeper connection on just a friendship level with Bella, than I had ever felt even with Tanya.

Rini was a concern. She loved Bella but felt like she was betraying her mother's memory by loving her. She liked that we could all go out and spend time together, but at even a hint that I wanted more from Bella would set her off.

I spent time with Maggie after the appointments with Kate and Irina, asking how to handle introducing a possible romantic relationship to both girls. I explained that I was interested in someone, but nothing was going on yet, I just wanted to be prepared for the eventuality. She knew what had happened with Bella, about my falling asleep and being caught by Rini, her reaction to that had been explosive, and there was nothing going on then.

Maggie told me to just move slowly, giving the girls time to adjust. Bella would be leaving for school and not around as much, so I should tell the girls we can make trips to Seattle to visit not just their grandparents, but Bella as well. She wanted me to ease Irina into the idea of Bella being a permanent part of our lives.

It was a lot to weigh in my head before I even told Bella how I felt. When I did, I was so afraid that I looked like a fool. I wasn't sure she even had feelings for me anymore.

Tanya had been the one to clue me into the crush Bella had on me. I never paid attention to things like that.

_oOo_

"_Hon, can you come here for a minute?" Tanya was in our room sorting through pictures to take to Mom's for some scrapbook get together. I walked into the room, kissing her as I sat down with her on the bed._

"_What's up, baby?"_

_She smiled at me, running her eyes over my bare chest. "It's a good thing Renee is home from the hospital, otherwise you'd give Bella a heart attack walking around like that."_

"_Sure babe, I think Bella is doing her drooling over Jake right now."_

_She laughed saying, "It's a good thing too, otherwise I'd never let you out of my sight."_

_Tanya's tone was light but she seemed off. "What's wrong sweetheart? You look like something is bothering you. Is something wrong with Bella?"_

"_You know I love you, Edward, and that I trust you, but I'm not a fool either. I'm getting older and I'm not as smooth and perky as a teenager anymore. You are still young enough to have a dozen other kids."_

_Now she was scaring me. "T, what in the world are you talking about? You are young, beautiful and the only woman I love and look at. What's gotten into you?"_

_She handed me a few pictures. "I took these a couple of weeks ago. Bella was staying here while Renee was in the hospital. Look at that picture and tell me what you see?"_

_I took it from her and felt my breath whoosh out of me. The picture was one of Bella and I on the piano bench. I remembered playing for her one night. This picture had been taken after I finished playing and we were looking at each other. I could see the sparkle of love on Bella's face, in her eyes. The problem with the picture was that when you looked at me, it was on my face as well._

"_I love you Edward, I love our life together. Please don't do anything either of us will regret."_

oOo

I had spent that night proving my love and devotion to Tanya, over and over. I took that picture hid it away. The others showed her feelings, but only that one showed my feelings as well. Tanya never doubted my feelings for her and trusted both Bella and I not to let anything happen. I felt the guilt hit me at first when I kissed Bella. It felt so right, but wrong at the same time. I tried to fight the feelings I had again and again, but I finally decided that I deserved to be happy and I wanted to try to get it.

I felt freer, happier with Bella than I had in so long. I saw what we could eventually have together.

I didn't want to hold Bella back, I wanted her to go to school, become what she dreamed of being. I knew we could work our schedules so that we could have time together, both as a family and alone time.

She just fit so well with my family. My parents adored her, my children loved her and she was a natural with them. I knew she would be a great mother one day. That thought excited me more than I ever thought it would. Bella, round with our child, one that would have her dark hair and my eyes, I wanted that someday.

When my parents come for a visit and wanted to take Kate and Irina to Disneyland, it was both a blessing and a curse. Having the girls around helped me keep myself in check, to be without them for a week…it would be hard to keep myself from Bella.

My parents knew about us. Dad cautioned me about rushing into a new relationship, Mom was torn in her reactions. She was happy that Bella had brought happiness back into our lives again, but worried that our age difference and where we were in our lives would be too much for us. She didn't necessarily want to stop what was developing, just hoped we would take our time.

The week we spent in Seattle was pure Heaven. After getting through to Alice about not butting in (Thank you Jasper), Bella and I had a fantastic time together. It was nice to see my hometown through her eyes. Of course I thought I would die from all of her teasing touches. I felt like a perpetually horny seventeen year old again. I wanted her so much, but if we were going to be together, forever, there was no rush. Bella seemed to have a different take on that. Her sleep talking turned me on and drove me crazy. She was very vocal about what she wanted from me.

Back at my house in Forks, finally being inside of her, my love, my light, it was unlike any other experience. I only wish we had had more time together.

Irina finding us was _the_ worst thing that could have happened. Mom tried to help my console and explain to Rini. I had felt so terrible just running out on Bella, but she understood my need to reach my daughter. After having finally calmed her down I spent the next few hours making the biggest and toughest decision of my life.

I couldn't put my personal happiness and desires above my children. Irina wasn't going to be comfortable around Bella anymore, and while it would kill me to hurt Bella, I was going to do it in a way that painted me as the 'bad guy' so she wouldn't resent the girls. She was young, so hopefully she would be able to move on and find someone without as much baggage as I had.

I took her for that last walk, I wanted nothing more than to take her to the meadow and hold her tight, to never let go. Instead I was hateful, hurtful and cruel. I hoped that by hating me she would have an easier time getting past it.

Kate was inconsolable for days, she didn't understand why Bella was gone, or how she could leave without saying goodbye. Dad had done what I asked him to do, give Bella the envelope I prepared. I had given Bella money to help her over the semester. I didn't want her to have to work if she needed to study. When after a month the check had still not been cashed I called Charlie Swan. I just wanted to touch base with him and find out if Bella had gotten settled in at UW.

I was shocked to learn she had changed schools at the last moment. She had given up her full scholarship at UW for student loans and grants at Stanford, and she still had not used the money I wanted her to use.

I found out Mom was in contact with Bella and sent three more checks to her, but none were ever cashed. She wouldn't accept my money. I had driven her out of the state, to a great school, but also one that caused her to be in financial difficulties. I had to help her in some way. I placed a call to my lawyer, Jenks, to ask for his help setting up a trust that would be "awarded" to Bella to pay for her tuition, my only condition was that it could not trace back to me. I wanted her to use that money.

During Christmas vacation, I thought I would see Bella out with her mom, but no. Word got around that she was seeing Jacob again. I hoped she was happy. When I received the package containing my UW t-shirt as well as the checks I had given her, I felt as if I had been punched. Emmett and Jasper took me drinking to make me feel better.

Over the summer I hoped I would see her or hear anything from her, like the girls had, but nothing. I could have called her, but I thought she had done what I wanted and moved on with her life. Alice tried to set me up on several blind dates. I did go out twice, but they were awful. I just couldn't get past Bella. I missed her, ached for her.

The major change in my life was hiring Mrs. Cope. Mom had found her when I had to fly to LA for meetings with the production company about the score I worked on. Shelly, as she asked us to call her, was hired to be our housekeeper as well as help with the girls if I needed it. She had retired from the high school and wanted something to keep her busy so she wouldn't murder her husband. She arrived before the girls left for school and was here when they came home. When I had to travel she had no problems staying over at the house. The score I worked on got a lot of notice and more offers came in, this meant time away from Kate and Irina, time spent in Los Angeles.

When the news spread about Bella's engagement, I wanted to curl up and die. Wasn't this what I had wanted for her? Didn't I tell her to find someone else to fall in love and build a family with? I told her she wouldn't have that with me, so she finally moved on. I was the biggest asshole on the planet for being jealous of Jacob Black.

I had not lived like a monk while she was in school. My work caused me to spend time in Los Angeles, and while I was away from the pressures of home and family, and memories of Bella, I had a few meaningless trysts, but they left me feeling emptier than I ever had before.

I punished myself for my stupidity, by attending the wedding at FirstBeach. Seeing the lovely vision she made as she walked down the aisle on Charlie's arm, I thought I would die never being able to touch her again. I wanted to be able to shout that I objected to the marriage. That I wanted her for now and for always, but nothing came out. I wouldn't ruin her day.

I became a ghost again. I was there when the girls needed me, but I just existed. My daughters were growing up before my eyes, each day they looked more and more like Tanya. Kate spoke regularly with Bella, so I knew she was happy.

Charlie told me she was graduating from Stanford Summa Cum Laude. I was so proud of her, even thought I already knew of this. I had managed to take care of Bella without her knowledge. Pacific Northwest Trust covered all of her tuition and as she remained on the Dean's List and graduated with honors, it would cover any student loans she had taken out. I knew she would achieve greatness in her life. I was faced with many regrets, but loving her and helping her achieve her dreams weren't among them.

When I heard that Renee was terminal and back in the hospital in Seattle, I didn't go there expecting to see Bella. I only wished to pay my respects to a wonderful woman and friend. I think Renee knew I had been in love with her daughter for years. She always made a point to check in with me and the girls. I hated that she was losing her battle with such a terrible disease.

I walked into her room at the hospital carrying a vase of flowers and balloons. "How are you feeling today, Renee?" I hadn't noticed that someone else was in the room.

"Oh I'll be fine in no time, especially if I get visitors like you each day."

Bella turned towards me, "Hello Edward, it's so nice of you to visit my mother. I'll just let you two visit for a while. Mom, I'll be back. I'm just going to get a drink and take a walk." She flew out of the room.

I looked at Renee and made my way over to sit in the chair Bella had just vacated.

She smiled at me, shaking her head.

"Edward dear, will you do something for me?"

"Anything for you Renee."

"Get going after my daughter and you two work this out. She's been in love with you for the last 6 plus years. Don't you think its time for you to make your move?"

I sat there staring dumbly at the woman in front of me.

"Renee, I can't, she's married. I missed my chance."

She rolled her eyes and huffed at me. "They aren't happy. She hasn't said anything to me, but I'm willing to bet she's ready to divorce him. Please, if you want to grant me a last wish, make my daughter happy."

I did go chasing after Bella. I had to beg for her to listen to me. I apologized for all the lies, for hurting her, for pushing her away.

We spent every moment that she wasn't at Renee's side, together. The happiness I felt was incredible. I discovered that the one time we had truly been together was no fluke. Bella was my other half, my soulmate. We fit together like two unique puzzle pieces, one only designed to fit the other.

When her mom passed Bella made arrangements to fly back to Sacramento to back her belongings and ship them home. She no longer considered California home, Forks was home and we were starting over. She was coming back to me.

I was in Los Angeles during the second week after she left. I was surprised to see her name light up on my phone late one night. "Hey love, I didn't expect to hear from you so late." A throat cleared on the other end of the line. "It's Jake."

What the hell? "Why are you calling me? Where is Bella?"

"Look Cullen, I don't know how to do this 'gently' so I'm just going to say it. Bella told me all about your affair. We're going into counseling together, but we are staying together. Bella is pregnant and we're committed to raising _our_ child together."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Where is Bella? Let me hear this from her."

"She's sleeping now. The pregnancy is hitting her pretty hard, taking a lot out of her. I'll tell her to call you tomorrow."

I wasn't going to believe it until I heard it from Bella. I still had not heard from her a week later. I tried her cell phone several times a day, all I got was voicemail. I sent countless emails and never received a reply. I even sent a couple of letters, those were eventually returned.

Once I was home Kate told me Bella had called looking for me. Irina mentioned that Bella had called and left a message. She ran to get the paper she had written the message on. "She didn't want to speak to you, Daddy. She just asked that I take the message down and make sure you got it.

_Edward, I'm sorry that it has to be this way. I never wanted to hurt you like this, but Jake is who I need to be with. I'm pregnant and I have to give us a chance to raise our child together._

There was something about it that wasn't sitting well with me, but unless I drove to Sacramento and showed up on her doorstep, what else was I to do? Two weeks later I hit my emotional rock bottom. Charlie had been telling everyone that Bella was pregnant and how happy she and Jake were about the baby. I went straight to the local tavern and drank my weight in Jack Daniels. Emmett had to take me home and sober me up. I had been trying to forget her ever since then.

OoOoO

Hearing that she's here, that she's moving home… I don't know how I'll handle it.

When my order is ready, I walk over to Rose's office to drop her lunch off. Her receptionist was not at the desk so I headed back towards Rosalie's office. I could hear voices coming from there and her door was slightly ajar.

I could see Bella from where I was standing. Her beautiful chestnut hair hanging down her back. I can see she's upset about something and heard her say she needed to tell me about something, but I tuned her out as her son lifted his head and turned his eyes on me.

I had expected dark eyes to match his dark hair, instead I see something that shocked me all the way from my hair to my toes.

In the baby's chubby face, my own eyes looked back at me.

What have you done, Bella? What have you done?

OoOoO

BPOV

_Riley wasn't paying any attention to me. He was focused at something behind me. Rose coughed and looked towards the door. "Hey."_

"_Emmett asked me to bring lunch over to you. I hope Weber's chicken salad is fine."_

_The voice that had been haunting my sleep filled my ears. I looked over my shoulder and saw his face. Edward was looking at Riley with pain filled eyes. Riley smiled and batted his eye lashes at him. "Mammamammaaa" He was excited and hitting my shoulder, not realizing the tension in the room._

"_Hello Edward. How have you been?"_

"_Bella…what was it you needed to tell me?" Edward wasn't looking at me, he was still staring at Riley, at his great big expressive, emerald green eyes. Eyes just like his father's._

Riley was getting excited with all the attention centered on him. He stood up in my lap and was bouncing while trying to reach back for Edward. Rose leaned forward to take the box from Edward. "Thanks for bringing lunch by. Bella was just signing the lease for the cottage."

He looked at me then, "So you are really moving back? That cottage isn't very big, won't the three of you be crowded there?"

I gathered my courage and stood to face him. "Jake isn't coming here. I filed the divorce papers before leaving California. I should have done it long ago."

Edward walked over to me, looking from me to Riley.

"May I?" Riley practically leaped out of my arms and into Edward's.

Riley was babbling happily, smiling his toothy grin. Edward gave Riley a huge smile.

"Hey big guy, aren't you handsome? What's his name, Bella?"

My throat felt tight, I swallowed before I could answer him. "Riley. Riley Masen Swan."

Rose choked on her lunch. "You okay, Rosalie?"

She took a drink of her water then said, "Yeah, I'm just going to walk down to the bakery to get a doughnut. You two sit, talk. I'll be back later."

Edward, still holding Riley, sat in the chair next to where I had been sitting.

"Tell me Bella. I already see it, when were you planning to tell me I had a son? _Were_ you planning to tell me? Do you hate me that much that you would keep this from me?"

Riley pat Edward on his cheek. "Babbagabba Mammamammaa dadgbaaddadbbad."

"You have a lot to say, huh little man?" Edward kissed Ry's forehead then handed him back to me.

"Was the whole time we were together just a way to get back at me Bella? I know I fucked up and hurt you all those years ago, but I thought we had moved passed that. I loved you, wanted to start a new life with you, but you returned to _him_, pregnant with _my_ child, and had Jake call to break up with me? Why? Were you planning to get pregnant? It's the only way you could have known so soon, if you were testing early to find out."

He was pacing the floor, dragging his hands through his hair. "I've been in love with you for _years_and we finally connected again. You said you forgave me for hurting you, that you understood where I had been coming from. You made plans to move home, Bella, you were divorcing him. I _never_would have touched you if I had known you would be going back to him."

He was so angry. He was acting like I ignored him, I had tried to reach him.

"Why wouldn't you answer my calls? Why didn't you answer my emails? I tried to reach you for weeks, Edward. I finally reached Kate and she said that Shelly had moved in and Irina told me you were dating her and in love. I found out I was pregnant a month after I left Seattle. I was scared to do it on my own and I thought you had pushed me away again, so I stayed in California with Jake."

Riley was starting to get fussy. It was well past his lunchtime and I needed to go.

"I've got to get Ry some lunch. Can we talk later? We need to get everything out."

Edward looked like he was going to say something, then changed his mind. As I gathered my things, he grabbed my arm.

"Wait Bella. Why don't you come to the house. We can get Riley something for lunch and have privacy to talk things through."

I thought about it, "Yeah, let's get this cleared away. I want us to be able to have some kind of relationship if only for Riley's sake."

He took my bag as I carried Riley to my car and fastened him into his seat. "Do you have your car here or do you need a ride?"

Edward pointed over to a charcoal grey Volvo SUV. "I'll meet you at the house. Still remember the way?" I nodded and got into the car. Ry was chewing on his fist. He was hungry and would be screaming if we didn't hurry.

I really hoped the girls wouldn't be at the house. They were both attending Forks High now, and should still be in classes. As I turned into the driveway I was bombarded with memories from the last time I was here.

OoOoO

"_Its okay, Edward. I've been on the pill for a while now." I kissed him gently. He looked at me, asking again, "Are you sure this is what you want?"_

"_Ugh, you feel so good, so tight." Edward looked at me, "Are you alright? Am I hurting you?"_

_We were in the midst of a deep kiss, Edward was between my legs rocking against me, working up for another round, when we hear __Alice__ shouting downstairs. "No, Rini, come back." Edward sat back and was trying to find the covers when the door to the bedroom burst open. He managed to cover us, but it was too late. She had already seen us together. She gave me a hate filled glare before running back out the door and down the stairs._

"_Come walk with me?"_

"_Bella, we need to talk. This… this has all been a huge mistake."_

"_Pack you belongings Bella and go home. Take the next several weeks, until you start school, with pay. When it's time, you'll go to school, meet someone, fall in love, get married. Do this Bella, because you'll never have any of that with me."_

OoOoO

I hoped that this time, I wouldn't be leaving here completely destroyed. Edward was at the door ready to unfasten Riley and take him from the car.

"Look at you, such a big boy. Are you hungry? I think we have some Cheerios, maybe some sliced bananas? Let's get you fed." He opened my door and gave me a hand out of the car, then led us into the house.

"Edward? Is that you?" A woman's voice called from the kitchen.

"Yeah Shell, I've got a couple of friends here for lunch." He led us into the kitchen and grabbed a clean dishtowel, gave me that, a banana, a table knife and the box of Cheerios. We walked over to the table. Edward sat , still holding Ry, while I draped the towel around Riley's neck securing it. Edward poured some cereal onto the table and asked me to slice the banana for him.

"So you asked why I never returned your calls and emails. Bella, after we spoke when I was heading to LA, I never received another call from you. After Jake called me to tell me you told him about our relationship, that you were going to marriage counseling and then told me you were pregnant…I tried to reach you. I wanted to speak to you when he called, but you were sleeping. You were supposed to call me the next day. Over a week later is when Kate told me you called to look for me, and Irina gave me a message that you left. You should have spoken to me, Bella. I deserved to know about him. I feel like I was robbed of my chance to be there every minute for him."

"There's something wrong here. When exactly did Jacob call you? How did he call you?"

"It was a call from your phone. Um, I was still in Los Angeles, you had been gone for two weeks or so. I tried to get you, but I kept getting voicemail. I was ready to fly to Sacramento and walk up to your door when I got the message you gave Irina."

"Did she tell you I called and urgently needed to speak to you when you got back in from your date?" I was already counting to 100, trying to keep my temper in check.

"No, it was the one where you told me that you were sorry for hurting me, but that you were staying with Jake to raise your baby."

I just rolled my eyes, "That was not my message. I would never have left something like that in a message. Also at that point in time, I didn't know I was pregnant, so why would I have had Jake call you. I would have said something to you, if I had wanted to breakup. God how I wanted you. I wanted to go to you, but you were ignoring me and then Irina told me you had found your "One". I was hormonal, scared to be alone, so I stayed. You don't know how much I wish I could just go back and change things. I would have come home then, and told you about the baby. Riley would have had you from day one."

Something had happened to us. Someone had actively tried to keep us apart. It looked like both Irina and Jake had had a hand in it, but what could we prove.

Edward took my hand with his free one. "I want to be in his life, Bella. Please believe me when I say that I would have been there for you every moment of your pregnancy. I wanted this for us, from the beginning. Back before I even knew about your feelings for me, I had imagined you carrying our child. I told you I lied on that trail, when I told you that you could never have a family with me. I had always wanted that with you."

I wasn't sure where we were going to go from this point. So much time had passed. We couldn't just pick up where we left off, but I couldn't deny that my feelings for Edward weren't just as strong as they had always been.

We needed to finish talking everything through. We both needed to find out what happened.

Riley had been happily smashing banana pieces all over Edward and I just had to laugh at the picture they made together. I am just so happy Edward wants to be in Riley's life and has accepted him so readily.

"You should wash up Edward. That banana is going to start to smell soon."

He pierced me with his gaze. "You'll stay here right, wait here while I shower? We can resume our discussion then." I cleaned Riley up, "Sure we'll wait in the den for you. We still have to decide how to tell Kate and Rini about Riley."

That's not going to be a pretty discussion. Maybe I need to buy a flack jacket.

OoOoO

**_Sooo how'd you like Edward's point of view? Did he answer any of your questions?_**

**_Next chapter : Edward, Bella, Riley, Kate and IRINA…It'll be interesting._**

**_Please let me know what you think. Leave a review._**


	15. Chapter 15

_**AN: Here's the next chapter. All I will say is that there will be some shouting going on.**_

_**Special thanks to Claire for what she has nicknamed HCIHY's Edward:**_

_********__Fucked-When-My-Daughter-Learns-I-Had-A-Baby-With-Her-Former-Nanny-Ward_, its long, but he's starting to grow on me. And its really without all the pesky Dashes but ffnet is being a pain.

___**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Stephenie Meyer is the be all and end all of Twilight and her characters. I'm just borrowing them for my story. No copyright infringement intended.**_

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 14

Confrontations and Other Surprises

OoOoO

**BPOV**

Edward left so he could cleanup. I was not sure that waiting with Riley was the best option. There was so much for us to discuss and we weren't going to be able to do it in one afternoon. The girls would be home before too much longer. I had to admit that I was worried about their reception. Katie would be happy, but Irina, she could be volatile. I don't know what I did to make her hate me so much, but she would flip out from my presence alone.

There were still so many people to tell about Riley. Edward had taken the news much better than I ever could have hoped for. I was not naïve enough to think that Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie would take it as well. Although I was pretty sure that Rosalie figured it out earlier in her office, and had probably already informed Emmett. That wouldn't give us much time.

I'm not sure what reaction I had been expecting from Edward, but his easy acceptance of Riley was not it. I was expecting at least some anger directed towards me. I also hadn't expected my body to be as aware of Edward the same way it always had been. He looked just as good at 37 as he had at 29. There were slight changes, the beginnings of crow's feet around his eyes, the odd white hair on his head, but he was still Edward.

Riley was fussy so I sat him on the floor to let him roam. "You are already missing your Daddy aren't you?" He pulled himself up and started walking back and forth along the sofa. He was so proud of himself. "He's just a doll, Bella. So sweet." Mrs. Cope said from the doorway. "I just wanted to check to see that you have everything you need before I head out to pick up Kate and Rini."

"We're good here." I gathered up Riley's things and put them in the diaper bag, just incase I needed to make a quick exit.

"You are going to meet your sisters, sweet boy. I hope they are nice to you."

"What do you want to tell them, Bella?" I looked over my shoulder to see Edward leaning against the wall.

"I don't really know. You didn't react the way I expected. I have no idea how Kate and Irina will take the news that they have a baby brother."

He walked over and joined me on the sofa. Riley squealed and pulled himself over to Edward.

"Oh I was shocked and angry, but I realized immediately that I could either be angry and waste more time away from you and him, or be thankful that you are home and have brought my son to me. Believe me when I say I want to know everything that happened, but I can't find it in me to be too angry, at least not enough to push you away again. I told you I had wanted it all with you and I meant it. I want us to talk everything out, figure out what went wrong and fix it. We can take everything as slow as you want, but I want you in my life. If that's not where you are, I will understand, but I will be a part of his life. I already feel a strong connection to him."

"Edward you can't possibly think that the girls will just blindly accept him. I don't want any of them to be hurt, least of all my baby." He took my hand in his. "I'm not going to let anyone get hurt." He tilted his head towards the front of the house. "I hear Shelly's car. They're back from school. You take Riley, just until the girls are in the room." Edward passed Riley back to me, which set off unhappy cries. Ry wanted his shiny new toy, his daddy.

"Dad are you here? Whose car is that in the driveway?" Kate called out as she entered the house. "We're back here, Katie. Come see who it is for yourself." Kate rushed in, kissing Edward's cheek before turning towards me. She stopped and stared before throwing herself at me. Edward grabbed Riley out of the way. "Bella, Bella, Bella! You're here. Gah! I've missed you so much." She hugged me tight before going for Riley. "Aren't you just too handsome for words?" I looked at Edward. He was smiling at his eldest fawning over his youngest.

"Dad!" The door slammed, "Whose car is that with the Cali plates? You got a girlfriend up from Los Angeles or what?"

I swallowed; my mouth felt like a desert all of a sudden. The next several minutes and possibly hours were going to be tense.

"Hey Daddy." She kissed Edward and gave him a hug. I did not miss the fact that he held onto her as she turned first to Kate and Riley, then to me.

"What are YOU doing here? GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

"Irina!" "Irina Diane!" Both Edward and Mrs. Cope admonished at the same time. Irina whirled on her father, "You just can't help yourself, can you? Don't you care that she ruined our lives? She left you Dad, twice! Haven't you gotten the message yet?" She was so worked up her whole body was shaking. Kate grabbed my arm and hand, like she was trying to keep me in place.

Riley was not reacting well to Irina's tone. He started crying, his little face all scrunched up and his lower lip pouted out. Edward was trying to calm him, but it wasn't working. I stood up, Kate having to release my arm, "Let me have him, Edward. I'll take him into the kitchen for a minute to see if he'll settle down."

Kate leaned in to ask me, "You aren't leaving, right?" I shook my head at her, "Not yet. I just need to calm Ry down."

"LEAVE! Take that baby and go back where you came from. I'm sure Jake is waiting for you."

Edward looked like he was going to stroke out from her behavior. "Hey, take a deep breath, Edward. Calm down before you say something you'd regret."

I walked with Riley into the kitchen, I could still hear everything, but at least Riley was out of the line of sight and I could distract him.

This was not going to be pretty.

**EPOV**

I looked at Irina as Bella walked into the kitchen, and for the first time in her 14 ½ years on this planet, I had no idea who she was. This is not the same sweet little girl that refused to go to sleep unless I had read two stories and sang or played two songs for her. She was so angry and I didn't understand where it had all come from.

Kate stood up from where she had been sitting beside Bella on the sofa. "Dad, do not listen to Irina. She's been trying for years to keep you and Bella apart. She even went to Aunt Chelsea for help." I felt like I was standing on the very edge of a cliff. Nothing in my life was making sense.

"Rin? Is what Kate just said true?" She wouldn't even look at me. "She's not good for us Dad, she's just going to go back to Jake. You know she will. She left us without a word and then she left you without a phone call, email or anything. She had her husband call you to tell you the truth that she wasn't coming back; only a cold hearted bitch would do that."

The things she was saying turned my blood cold. I didn't recognize this girl.

"Katie? Will you ask Bella if you can take the baby upstairs?" Bella walked into the den as I said this to Kate. I was glad to see that Riley was alright. "Here Katie, he's got everything he could need in the diaper bag." Bella gave passed Riley to Kate and I told her to take him up to my studio. It was probably going to get very loud down here.

Once Kate had taken Riley upstairs I looked at my youngest daughter and said, "Irina Diane Cullen, what have you done?" Bella sat down beside me, and took one of my hands, squeezing it in support. The scowl that formed on Irina's face when she looked at our joined hands was what broke my tenuous hold on my temper.

"Did you or did you not lie to Bella about Mrs. Cope? Did you take a message and fail to deliver it? Did you give me a false message from Bella? Do YOU have any idea of what you have done to our family?" My voice grew louder and louder with each question. Bella leaned into me telling me to calm down. I don't know how she was staying so calm.

"Why her, Dad? She's just going to mess us up." Bella looked at her, took a breath and started asking her why she was acting this way.

"Irina, what have I done to you to make you hate me? You weren't like this when I lived here. Even when you were first upset about the possibility of there being a relationship between your father and I, you were never this hateful. We need to talk this out because whether you like me or not, whether your father and I have a romantic relationship or not, I will be in your lives and so will Riley. You will control yourself around him, you will not yell or fight and you will never strike him."

Bella smiling and happy was beautiful, but Bella in all her Mama Bear glory was simply stunning. Irina, never one to just back down, got into Bella's face so I stood to make sure no fists flew.

"You aren't my mother and you are certainly not my father. You are nothing to me so don't you dare think that you can tell me what I will or won't do. You ruin everything you touch, take your baby and go back to Jake. You don't belong here. I wish you had never met my family, my mother would still be alive if you hadn't."

Bella looked as if she had been slapped. I felt like the floor was spinning. "Rini, what do you mean? What does Bella have to do with Tanya's death? She's the reason we are all still here, baby. Bella helped keep us together." I tried to take my daughter into my arms, but she pulled away.

"You disgust me, Edward. You slept with a married woman and then she goes back to her husband, has his baby and is now coming back to you to get you to raise him and you take her back with open arms. If you needed to get laid so badly, why not call Aunt Chelsea, she's wanted to go out with you for ages. She's at least family, she loves me and Kate, and she's like Mom and nothing like your slut here."

The flat of my palm was connecting with her cheek before I even realized it. Irina's eyes filled with tears. "You're going to choose your whore over your own daughter? I HATE YOU!" She ran out of the room and up the stairs. I immediately felt remorse for striking her, but the filth she was spewing… it was too much. Bella sat there trying to hold herself together.

"She really hates me, Edward. I never believed it was this bad. I can't disrupt your life like this. I think I should get Riley and go."

Panic set in at the thought that she was going to disappear again, this time taking Riley with her.

"NO! Please Bella, please don't leave. You and Riley are part of our lives now. You can't just introduce me to my son and then take him and leave like today was nothing. I want us to work this all out. Kate is going to be happy about Riley and I have to believe that Irina will be as well. She may act out at first, but we've got to talk all of this through. Just don't give up on us yet."

Bella was pacing the floor of the den. "Things are just so intense now. Shouldn't we wait to tell them? I really don't want her to completely lose it." I grabbed her hand stopping her motion and pulled her to me. "I have to believe that my little girl is still in there. I think she will take it better than you expect. I want to get all of the secrets out in the open, first with the girls, then with the rest of my family." What I wanted was to shout the news, yet Bella was right to be concerned with how Irina would react. I wouldn't allow her to hurt Bella or Riley, but I am hopeful that the news will help break down this wall Irina has around her.

I pulled Bella behind me as we made our way up to my music studio. Kate was sitting at the piano with a laughing Riley on her lap, banging away on the keys. Kate smiled as she teased. "I think he has a great musical ear. He's been banging on this for a while now."

I motioned for Bella to join Kate and Riley. "I'm going to speak to Irina for a little while, and then bring her up here because there are some things we all need to go over."

I kissed Katie's cheek, ruffled Riley's hair and stared at Bella for a little too long. "We'll be back here soon." I quickly jogged down to the second floor and knocked on Irina's door.

"Rini, we need to talk." She opened the door and nodded her head at me before climbing up onto her bed and leaning against her headboard. She motioned for me to sit.

"There is so much to say, but first I wanted to remind you of something. Rin, no matter what, I am your father and I will always love you." She looked at me and I could see the red mark on her cheek. "I'm sorry for hitting you, Irina. I never want to hurt you, but you pushed too far. You were raised to show your elders respect.

Now I want to address a few things you said earlier. Why do you think Bella is in anyway responsible for your mother's death? What, is it because she babysat for us that weekend? We would have been on that trip anyway, only you and your sister would have been in the car as well."

She was shaking her head. "That's not it. I know all about Bella's plans for you and Mom. She wanted Mom out of the way so she could make her move on you. She's the one that convinced you to turn off the life support machines. Mom was getting better, she could have come home to us eventually, but you let your dick make decisions for you."

I wanted to shake some sense into her. "Watch your mouth. Rini, Bella had nothing to do with me taking Tanya off of life support. Baby, before Bella even got to the hospital, the doctors told me that your mother was gone. The machines kept her blood pumping so that we had time to say our goodbyes and kept her organs viable for donation. She saved so many other people the day she died, that's what she wanted. Bella was just there to support and to help us. Do you remember what I was like those first few weeks? I don't, but Grandma and Grandpa were ready to remove you and your sister from my care until Bella volunteered to help us by taking on your care." My daughter had such an uncertain look upon her face.

"That is not what I heard, Dad." At least I was back to Dad. "Are you sure you are not just protecting her?" I took Irina's face in my hands and made her look me in the eye. "I know it for a fact. Bella loved your mom. Do you really think I would ever be involved with someone that would hurt any of you? Please tell me where you heard all of this 'information'." She broke contact with me, pulling away. "Aunt Chelsea told me a few years ago. Kate and I were visiting Grandma and Grandpa while you were working in LA. We had gone shopping with Grandma Esme and she ran into us. Grandma was polite as always and when Aunt Chelsea asked if we could stay at her house, Grandma said it would be alright for one night. I don't remember how Bella came up, but she couldn't believe that you let us, well let Kate still have contact with her. That's when she told us about Mom's accident and how Bella was trying to get you away from Mom's 'control'."

I was finally going to kill the bitch. After everything she did, every stunt she pulled before I told Tanya what had been going on, this is the lowest she could ever stoop. She fed lies to my children about a woman that only ever loved them, that had loved their mother and would have helped them to hold onto her memory better than they have. I was going to make a house call to one Chelsea Denali and she'd regret ever meeting me.

"Irina, will you wait here for a minute. I really need you to hear something from Bella about your Aunt Chelsea." I ran back up the stairs. In my studio, Bella was listening as Kate played a lullaby. Riley was sleeping on a blanket, lying on the floor next to the sofa.

"Bella I want you to hear something from Irina, and I need you to tell her about Chelsea."

"Dad is this about the BS that Aunt Chelsea tried to feed us about you and Bella turning Mom's life support off so that you could be together? Rini should never have listened to that crap." Bella looked at me and I just nodded. "Katie, we'll be up in a bit. Do you mind watching Riley for a little longer?" She just shooed us away and kept playing softly.

As we walked down, I filled Bella in on everything that Irina had just told me.

"So you think this is the reason that she hates me so much?"

"Maybe not the entire reason, but it's a large part of it." I walked into Irina's room, but Bella hesitated at her door.

"Irina, do you mind if I come in to speak with you for a minute?" Bella was giving her some control of the situation. I sighed with relief when my baby girl asked her to come in.

"Rin, what you were told by Chelsea was completely false. There is a reason that your mom and I stopped inviting her to join the family after that last Thanksgiving we were all together."

Bella looked to Irina, saying, "Chelsea is the last person you should ever listen to, Irina. Your mom told her not to contact your family ever again after that Thanksgiving. You don't have to believe me or even your dad, but would you believe your Aunt Alice? She'll be happy to tell you all about it, and even add a few other stories. Chelsea had been hitting on your father since college. She didn't care he was married to her cousin, or that he was happy with his family. Alice and I walked in on her threatening your father with a made up story about an affair he was carrying on with me. She did this because your dad was finally going to tell your mother what her cousin had been doing all along."

Irina looked over at Bella. "Ok so say I believe you about Aunt Chelsea. What about the fact that you just dropped us. You were there every day and then you were gone. Dad was sad, Kate cried and cried and I felt like I had lost Momma all over again."

Irina started to cry. God had I really started all of this that day in the woods, the day I made the biggest mistake of my life? I'll never be able to make it up to her, to any of them.

Bella was about to answer when I squeezed her hand to get her attention and shook my head no. I needed to tell her this.

"Baby girl… that wasn't Bella's decision, I did that. I pushed her away by telling her horrible lies so she would hate me and leave. I wanted to do what was right for all of us, and I wanted Bella to leave for school like she was supposed to. I wanted her to leave and forget me, to forget about all of us. I wanted her to find someone to make her happy."

"But Dad, we made her happy. You were your old self around Bella."

Could she really not remember? Bella looked as confused as I was in the way Irina was questioning me about why Bella left.

"Do you not remember why I ended things with Bella? You were so distraught over walking in on …"

"Yeah, yeah, no need to remind me of that. I won't ever forget that, but Dad I was over that after a few days. Kate missed Bella and you were so sad."

"I needed to concentrate on you girls. It wasn't the time for me to be selfish."

Bella looked at us with her soulful brown eyes. "I didn't want to leave you and Kate without saying anything, Irina, but your dad thought it was best at that time. I did contact you and Kate to apologize for leaving the way I did, granted it was a month later, but I couldn't handle it before then. You and your sister mean so much to me. I want us to get along. Maybe one day we can get back to the type of relationship we once had. Right now all I ask is that you respect my presence here, and that you please control your temper, especially around Riley."

"What's the deal with him, anyway? I can't believe Jake just let you leave with his son. He was always so possessive of you, I can't believe he willing let you go."

**BPOV**

Hmmm…. I wonder…

Is it possible Irina will tell us what she knows? What she did? She had to have spent some time speaking with Jake to have gotten that impression from him. Edward was looking at Irina with a relieved look on his face. I hated to burst his bubble of assumption, but all was not right with the world just yet.

"Rin, how much time did you actually spend talking with Jacob? How did you even get in touch with him?" Edward jumped into questioning her, about her involvement with Jake, before I could. She fidgeted looking between both Edward and I.

"He called here, when Mrs. Swan was in the hospital, looking for Bella. I guess she wasn't answering her cell phone and neither was Chief Swan. I told him she had not been to our house, but that you had gone over to Seattle to visit Bella's mom. Jake told me that he and Bella had had a fight and she was 'punishing' him by wanting a divorce. He said it would never happen because he was sure she was pregnant and it was just the hormones talking." She looked to me, "We talked a little about your life in California and I told him that if he needed help with you to call."

Oh yeah, I would be making a call to Jacob before too much longer, he'd be lucky if I don't fly back down to Sacramento with my Dad's shotgun. I looked from Irina to Edward. There was no way to explain how wrong what Jake had said was, without telling her about Riley. Edward obviously realized this, because he looked at me and nodded for me to go on with the story.

"I don't know exactly why Jake was calling here, but I promise you that I was not under the influence of pregnancy hormones. I was not punishing him for a fight, either. We had just separated and were talking about starting divorce proceedings when I got the call about my mom. We made each other miserable and our marriage just didn't work out. I didn't find out I was pregnant until almost 4 weeks after I returned to Sacramento. At that time I was just over 6 weeks into my pregnancy. Jake lied to you when he called here, he made up a story about a pregnancy not knowing that it was real at the time. Irina, that day that I called here looking for your father, the day I told you I needed to speak to him urgently, I wasn't calling to check on him, or check to see if what you told me about his new love was real. I was calling to tell him I was pregnant. I wanted my baby's father to be in his life, regardless of whether or not we continued our relationship." I saw the moment she comprehended what I had just told her, but continued speaking, not letting her say anything just yet. "When I didn't hear back from your dad, when my emails went unanswered, I thought maybe you were telling the truth and Edward had found someone new and pushed me from his life again." Edward flinched when I said that. "When I couldn't hide the fact that I was suffering from morning sickness from Jake any longer, I confessed that I was pregnant, he reacted with such joy, making plans for us and the baby. It was exactly the way I had hoped your father would have reacted. I just went along with Jake; I was scared to go through it alone. I never should have stayed. I wish I had just come home to confront Edward. Riley deserved to have his father with him every minute, and to know his sisters."

"The baby is Dad's? OH. MY. GOD!" I flinched as she screeched that out. Edward looked at me then at Irina.

"Rin? Look at me…" She had tears flowing down her face.

"You have a whole new family now Daddy, you won't need us anymore." For a minute she looked exactly how she did when she was a scared six year old, afraid her Daddy had replaced her Mommy.

"Irina, no! You and Kate are my life. Remember what I told you earlier, I'm your father and I will always love you. I wish I had known about Riley before now and I wish I could have been there for Bella, but we can't change that, all we can do is move forward. We are a family. We may be completely dysfunctional at times, but a family nonetheless. Is it possible for you to be civil towards Bella?"

I watched as Edward sat, speaking with Irina. I still had so many questions about everything. How was it possible that both Edward and I made numerous calls and sent emails, but neither of us was able to get through to the other? What other lies had Irina been fed not only by Jake, but Chelsea as well? Is it even going to be possible for Irina and I to reforge the relationship we once had?

I really wanted to check on Riley. I felt the need to just be near him. "Edward, I'm going up to make sure Kate and Riley are alright. We need to tell Kate now that Irina knows. I really hope we can eventually get back the relationship we once had, Irina." I moved toward the door, ready to see my baby.

"Bella? May I go up with you to see Riley?" Irina asked, looking unsure of whether she should ask. Edward stood and walked over to me, whispering in my ear, "I don't think she's going to hurt him." Then he spoke louder, "Let's all go up to the studio. We should tell Kate the news, then all we have to worry about is telling Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Alice, Uncle Jasper, Em and Rose."

Oh, God, it wasn't going to get any easier.

We walked upstairs, Irina leading the way. She walked into the studio and I saw Kate rush over to Riley. "Back off Rin, he's still sleeping. Let him alone."

Edward and I walked into the room, his hand on my back guiding me. "Kate will you have a seat, please? There is something that Bella and I need to tell you." We all settled into the small sitting area around Riley.

"Kate, there's something you need to know about Riley and Bella." Edward began.

"He's yours isn't he Daddy?"

My jaw dropped, Edward moved his mouth, looking like a fish, opening and closing it with no words.

"I…how…you…you know?"

Kate just laughed and ran from the room returning quickly carrying a scrapbook.

"I have been helping Grandma organize all of the family pictures into scrapbooks. This one is full of pictures of Dad when he was little." She opened the scrapbook up to a page and pointed out several pictures. The last being a picture of Edward as a baby, he looked to be about a year old in the picture. The resemblance to Riley was unmistakable, from the eyes to the unmanageable cowlicks. The only difference was the hair color. I really wanted to know how Kate felt about it.

"What are you thinking, Katie? I know it's a lot to process." I looked at Irina; she was just looking at Riley, watching him sleep. I caught the movement as she brushed a hand over his hair. I had a flicker of hope that she was going to accept this, accept him. Kate sat herself in my lap, squeezing my neck.

"You belong here with us Bella. You always have. He's such a good baby. We can turn the old playroom into a nursery for Riley and I will gladly babysit anytime you and Dad want to go out alone. I'll show Rini how to change diapers…"

"Whoa, whoa, Kate slow down. Having a room here for Riley will be great, but we aren't going to be living here. Riley and I are moving into the cottage that is next door to Rosalie and Emmett's house. We will be close by and you are more than welcome to visit anytime."

She looked like I kicked her puppy.

"Dad? Why isn't Bella going to live here? You have a baby for crying out loud. Marry her!"

Edward shook his head, chuckling at her. "Katie honey, you don't know how glad I am that you're so happy about this, but Bella just moved back and is getting settled. We still have so much to talk through. We're taking things one step at a time. And sweetheart, I can't marry Bella, yet, she's still married."

I looked at him, "Yes, I'm still married to Jake, but my divorce should be finalized within 30 days. The papers have already been filed. Kate I know you are excited, but you need to realize it wasn't just you and Irina that learned about Riley today. Your dad only learned about him today as well. We need to take things really slowly. That's something he and I have never been good at, so it's going to be a learning process. The last thing I want is for any of us to be hurt by rushing things."

Edward took his daughters' hands. "Girls, you know how fast gossip spreads here in Forks, so please try to ignore anything you may hear about me, Bella, your mom, anything. If someone says something to either of you, or is mean towards you, let me know. This won't be an easy time for any of us."

Irina pulled away from Edward. "I'm going to try, Dad. I won't let anyone say anything bad about my family… that includes my baby brother. Bella, I'm sorry for what I've done and the way I've acted. It wasn't that I wanted Dad to be alone, but at first I was worried about forgetting Mom, then hurt because you left that way and after what Chelsea said, I just turned it all onto you. I've got a lot of anger built up in me, so I want to apologize now for the next time I lash out at you. I _am_ going to try to break that habit."

I knew it was going to take time with Irina. Edward told us he was going to set up a family therapy session with Maggie or Liam for everyone to get any concerns out and he wanted all of us to be there. We had the time now to make sure every issue would be addressed.

The four of us sat surrounding my sleeping son, the newest Cullen, talking about what to expect in the coming days and weeks. I would be moving into the cottage in the next few days, and starting my job at the _Weekly_.

"I start at the paper next Monday. I've got to find a sitter for when I need to be at the office."

"What about Shelly? She's great. Couldn't she take care of Riley?" Irina suggested this, taking me by surprise. I looked over at Edward asking, "Do you think she would mind?"

"I'll talk to her, but I bet she's going to be ecstatic about it. She loves babies."

"You'll have to baby proof the house. Riley is mobile so he's going to be into everything."

Later as he walked me out, carrying a now wide awake and happy Riley, I noticed his expression was sad.

"What's wrong, Edward?" He looked at me saying, "I've missed so much. He's already starting to walk. I don't want to miss any more of his firsts." I watched as he deftly fastened Riley into his car seat. You wouldn't think to look at him that he hadn't done that task in over 12 years. "You won't miss anything else. I'm here for good. I'll be moving into the cottage next to Em and Rose and you can see Riley whenever you want to. I want you and Ry to be close."

I was hoping he could see the sincerity in my face.

"Bella…" I looked up into his eyes. "Riley is not the only one I wanted to spend time with. I don't want to miss anymore time with you. I've missed you." He pulled me into his arms, just holding me close. "Me too, Edward, I've missed you too. We have to take this slow, ok. I'm hoping that Irina will be alright with all of this, eventually, but it's going to take time. I've got to speak to Jake." Edward tensed, squeezing me tighter. "I don't know if he will tell me everything or if he'll even tell me the truth, but I have got to find out. You still have my cell number, right?"

He nodded. "Good, call me in the morning when you get up, let's meet for breakfast, talk some more."

"Sure, I'm up around 7, is that too early to call?" I shook my head at him. "Riley is usually up around that time. Call me and we'll make plans."

Edward kissed my cheek helping me into the car, and then said goodnight. I looked back to see him watching as I drove away.

Dad was waiting for us when I walked through the door. "Have you been looking at apartments this whole time?" He took Riley from me as I set the diaper bag down.

"No, I found a place pretty quickly. Rose and Emmett McCarty have a cottage they renovated that's next to their house. It's perfect for me and Riley. We spent the rest of the day over at the Cullen house. Edward came into Rose's office to bring her lunch as I was finishing the paperwork and we've been talking ever since."

**Charlie POV**

I swear she's going to cause me to have a heart attack one of these days. She's really just going to leave me with that news? Bella was already in the kitchen preparing dinner and not volunteering information.

"So what happened, Bells?"

She sighed, but looked like she was relaxed, that had to be a good sign right?

"We talked, Dad. There have been a lot of major miscommunications and outside forces working against us, which we are still trying to sort out, but we talked. He knew as soon as he saw Riley. He didn't go ballistic and threaten to take him away from me, we got some things straightened out and told his daughters. That was interesting."

Okay it sounds good so far, but… "Wait, what about his girlfriend? Does she know?"

"That's part of the 'outside forces' issue that we are trying to figure out, Dad. There never was a girlfriend."

I'm beginning to think Forks needs to find a film crew. This town is turning into a daytime soap. Hey don't look at me like that, Renee watched them religiously.

"No girlfriend? So why did he stop calling?"

Bella set a plate on the table for me. She took the baby and put him in his highchair before saying, "He didn't stop. He tried to reach me like I had tried to reach him. We never received the other's calls or emails. We don't know why, but it's one of the things we are going to try to figure out tomorrow."

"You're seeing him again tomorrow? Bella…don't you think you should give it some time?"

What was she thinking? If people see her with Edward Cullen so soon after arriving back in town, the gossip mill will get cranking and rumors will start to fly.

"Dad, Edward is going to come by in the morning and we are taking Riley out for breakfast. We have things that we still need to work out and Edward wants to spend time with his son. Don't worry about the gossips, Dad. We've already discussed it and decided to face everything head on."

I was really afraid of the next question I was about to ask her. She could either have a bad reaction or I could hear something I wasn't ready for.

"Are you two back together?" I was so going to have to bring him down to the station for that conversation with my shotgun.

"We aren't together, but the feelings are still there. We are taking time for this to develop. There is so much we have to consider, it's not just Bella and Edward now and we have to think of Katie, Irina, and Riley. I also need to call Jake and make him tell me what he knew, when he knew it as well as what he did."

What? When? Who?

"JAKE? What does he have to do with this?"

She looked at me and I swear the last time I saw that look was on my mother's face the morning after my high school prom, when she asked me where I had been all night.

"That, Dad, is just what I intend to find out."

**OoOoO**

___**So, the girls know. Bella and Edward confronted Irina, and there was a blowout.**_

___**Do you think Bella is being too forgiving towards Irina? Jake and Chelsea had better watch their backs.**_

___**Thank you all for the alerts and favorites my story is getting. Please let me know what you thought of the chapter. Leave a review.**_


	16. Chapter 16

_**I own nothing related to Twilight except for the books and DVDs. Stephenie Meyer created the characters, I'm just borrowing them for my story. No copyright infringement intended. **_

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 15

**BPOV**

I tossed and turned for a couple of hours in bed that night. Riley went off to sleep just fine after playing with Charlie, but all I could think about was how Jake and Chelsea had manipulated a young girl into helping them keep me from Edward. I wasn't sure how I would confront Jacob, but it was going to happen. The guilt that I had felt for keeping the secret about Riley from him, only to find out he already knew about it. Aghhh! I would not be able to function in the morning unless I got some sleep.

0~0~0

I was up before Riley even stirred. I think I managed to get at least a couple of hours sleep. I made coffee and an egg sandwich for Charlie and sent him on his way. "Don't forget to tell Edward I want to speak with him soon, Bella. There are a few things I want to say to him." Oh Daddy…I'll have to warn Edward to expect the inquisition from the Chief.

I got Riley's breakfast ready and went up to get him at 7:30.

"There's my sweet boy!" He was standing up giving me a great big smile.

"Mammaamama!" He held his arms up for me to get him, and after a quick diaper change we were back in the kitchen. I had my cell phone at the table, knowing Edward was supposed to be calling this morning. I was beginning to wonder if something had come up when I saw that it was already past 8 o'clock and he still hadn't called.

I wiped Riley's face clean then took him upstairs to get ready for the day. I had just dressed him and was pulling on a pair of jeans when the doorbell rang. I quickly pulled on a t-shirt, picked up Riley and rushed to the door. Edward was standing outside, running his fingers through his hair.

"Hey. I was waiting for your call." He looked so stressed this morning. "What's wrong, Edward?"

He smiled as he took in the sight of a happy Riley reaching for him. "I've been calling you for the last hour. Have you not turned your phone on? You wouldn't believe the scenarios that have been going through my mind."

"Edward, I've had my phone with me all morning. It didn't ring once. What's going on?" We walked into the living room, I motioned for him to sit with me on the sofa, and Edward took Riley in his arms. "I've been calling you since I woke up this morning. Rini told me late last night that I needed to reprogram my phone because she had blocked your numbers from my cell phone. Apparently Jake gave her the idea, but Chelsea is the one that told her how to do it. I'm beginning to think your cell phone is blocked like mine is. The last time I spoke to you on the cell phone was when I was in LA, a week or so before Jake called me. Did you try my cell after that?"

I nodded. "Yes but it always went to your voicemail. I called the house too, but either the answering machine or Kate or Irina answered and you were never home. You called me though right? Did you try my house?"

Edward shook his head. "I never got that number from you. I had your cell number, but your house number was unlisted. I should have just flown down there."

Riley was completely oblivious to our conversation. He was tugging on Edward's collar and babbling away.

"I was planning to get a new phone today anyway, complete with a new number. I won't be calling Jake from it; he's going to be lucky I don't fly down there with Dad's shotgun. Let me finish getting ready and take me to breakfast. We still have so much to go over, and it's not something we should do on empty stomachs."

I left Edward and Riley downstairs as I headed up to finish getting ready for the day. I was back downstairs with a bag for Riley and my purse in less than ten minutes.

"Bella, let's take my car. I know you wanted to do some shopping later today and I was hoping you wouldn't mind if I came along. There are some things I need to get for the house to prepare Riley's room, so he'll have a place to nap when Shel is watching him."

"You talked to her already? She really won't mind? Thanks, that's one less thing I need to worry about. I don't mind the company shopping and you'll be able to help keep him entertained. I warn you though I need to buy furniture so it won't be a fun shopping trip. "

Edward handed Riley to me and we walked over to my car to get the car seat.

"Can you also grab the stroller from the back? I think it will fit in your trunk."

He grabbed the stroller and I locked up the car and walked back to his Volvo. "Have you ever owned a car that wasn't a Volvo, Edward?"

He just laughed at me. "It's a safe car, anyway this is the XC60, not technically a car it's an SUV, just smaller than your behemoth is."

"Don't hate my Navigator. I love it, sure it's a bit of a gas guzzler, but I love driving it. I also needed it to fit all the daily things I need for going out with the baby."

We got everything settled in Edward's car, fastened Riley into his seat and then Edward drove us over to the Forks Diner.

"Are you ready for this, Bella? People are going to start talking about us as soon as we walk in there."

I took his hand and squeezed it. "They've been talking about me since I crossed the town limits. I'm not ashamed of Riley and everyone is going to know soon. Which reminds me, we really need to speak to your parents, and soon. Do you want me to wait for you to tell them or should we do it together and introduce their grandson?"

He parked the car and walked around to my door before answering. "I can call Mom and ask them to come over one day this week. When are you free?" He helped me out of the car and then opened the back door to get Riley.

"I've got to go into the Weekly for an hour or so tomorrow, just to fill out paperwork and get my assignments and schedule for next week. I'm free tomorrow evening and the rest of the week will just be waiting for whatever deliveries I arrange today for the furniture. My clothes are all at Charlie's and Jake is shipping Riley's nursery furniture. Talk to Esme and just let me know."

As soon as we entered the door the room got eerily quiet. Edward carried Riley over to a booth at the far end of the diner and asked one of the servers for a highchair.

As the waitress returned she greeted him, "Hey Edward, who is the cutie you have there?" I held my breath waiting for him to answer. "Hi Brandi, this is Riley, he's ready for his first taste of Forks very own greasy spoon." Edward got him seated in the highchair as I sat down in the booth.

"Do you need a minute or are you ready to order?" She wasn't paying any attention to me, her eyes were glued on Edward, or more aptly his lap. Some things never change.

Edward however wasn't paying her any attention; his attention was centered on Riley and me.

"Bella are you ready? I always get the same thing so whenever you're ready we'll order."

I looked over the menu, "I'll just have the pancakes and bacon, extra crispy on the bacon, please."

"Ok so two pancakes and bacon, anything for the baby?"

I just shook my head, "No, I'll give him some of mine."

Brandi, still not looking at me left to place the order.

"I see you still have women drooling all over you. Why haven't you met someone else Edward? You thought the worst of me, thought I used you and went back to Jake, why not move on?"

Edward just stared at me. I didn't know if he would answer the question or completely clam up.

**EPOV**

Why was she asking me this, this is not really how I wanted to start our day together. "I told you before, Bella, after I pushed you away I just shut myself off. I was trying to be a good father to the girls so I didn't want a parade of women going through my house. I had lost two loves and didn't want to put myself out there again. I occasionally met a woman that interested me when I was working out of town, but no one ever touched my heart or my soul the way you had. After Seattle, it was more shock than anything else. I do owe your ex-husband a little face time. After you speak with him, I want my turn. I expect you'll want the same with Chelsea. Maybe we should set them up? Don't you think they deserve each other?"

Bella laughed so hard at what I said that she snorted. It was so great to hear her laugh again. A light giggle joined her and I looked down to see my son laughing at his mom. Riley was hitting his tray with a spoon Bella had placed there, laughing louder with each hit.

"Oh, he's going to break hearts one day, Bella." I couldn't seem to keep from touching him. I ran my hand over his hair, played with his hand, teaching him to give me five.

"I really hope not, Edward, but he's his father's son, after all." That cut much worse than I expected it to. I knew we each had things to deal with, Bella was still dealing with my decision to push her away, even after we talked it through in Seattle, it still must get to her. I know I felt anger about missing so much of Riley's life, though I really cannot blame Bella for all of that. She did try to reach me.

"What are we going to do about the blocked call situation? Should we confront Chelsea and Jake with what we know or trick them into confessing? Should we just get new numbers and forget about it all?"

Bella turned a deep red and her nostrils flared. "Oh Jake and I are going to have a 'Come to Jesus' talk. He fed all this BS to me after I told him about us and that I knew Riley was yours, after Riley was born. He acted so hurt that I wouldn't just tell him, but he knew all along. I know I should have told him the truth, but I was freaked and scared to be alone, he took advantage of that. He played on my fears after I told him. Saying you could take Riley from me if you were mad enough. It was enough to delay my move by 6 months. I knew he loved me, but I never would have done this. He knew you were trying to get in touch with me and gives the idea to an impressionable 12 year old to block my number. I really hate how Irina got twisted into an adult's game. I want to make both Jake and Chelsea hurt for hurting Irina."

Our food arrived and we ate silently for a while. Bella was feeding bites of pancake to Riley when I broke the silence. "I really wish I could kill her without being arrested and taken away from my family. There is a special place in Hell for the likes of Chelsea. She actually put the idea that _you_ wanted Tanya out of the way so badly, that you convinced me to turn off her life support. Kate was never close to Chelsea so she knew not to believe her, not only that but Kate knew you, the real you. Irina was hurt from you leaving and confused about us, Chelsea just moved in for the kill. Believe me when I say she's going to pay, perhaps you can help me come up with a suitable payback."

Bella reached over the table and took my hand in hers. "We'll handle them together. For now, let's concentrate on finishing our breakfast and take our son shopping." I don't think I will ever get used to hearing 'our son' come out of her mouth.

The bell on the diner door rang and I looked up. Charlie Swan walked in and zeroed in on our table. "Um, Bella, did you tell your dad we were coming here?"

She shook her head, "No. I told him we were going for breakfast, and I guess this is the logical place to go in Forks. Why?"

I didn't even have to tell her she heard her name being called before he walked over. "Bella, I didn't think I'd see you here this morning." He turned to me and held out his hand. "Morning Edward, how's your family?"

"Good morning Chief, I think we're _all_ doing fine now. We're almost finished here, but would you care to join us?"

"If you don't mind, I'll join you for a minute."

I gestured to the open seat beside Bella, but Charlie sat beside me. I knew that everyone heard the gulp I took. It's embarrassing to be so intimidated by another man at my age, but damn it all, this is a father that carries a gun and I'm the man that knocked his baby girl up.

Bella looked at her dad like she was trying to tell him something. I only hope it was in my defense. "Dad, what are you doing in here already? You had breakfast at home and its not lunchtime yet."

Charlie squirmed in his seat, he actually squirmed. I was starting to relax at the thought of Chief Swan being uncertain around his daughter.

"I was just going to get a coffee, and maybe a muffin. I'm glad to see you out and about though, Bells. What are your plans for the day?"

Something tells me he really just wanted to check out how I was treating his baby.

"I told you already, Dad. Edward and I are going shopping for furniture for the cottage, and he needs some things for Riley's room at his house."

Charlie's head snapped in my direction. "You are setting up a room for Riley? Why? You aren't taking him from my girl, I won't let you."

I was shaking my head at him, "No, Charlie, I just want to have a place for him at my house, it'll make it easier for us when he stays with Mrs. Cope on the days Bella has to be in the office. I've got to get the essentials at least. That way Bella isn't carting the play pen around all the time."

"Sorry for jumping down your throat, it's just that this is all still settling in and I won't let Bells get hurt again."

I pat him on the shoulder, saying, "I really understand. I'm the same way about my kids, all of them. I promise if I ever hurt her I will present myself to you for disposal. I never wanted to hurt her at all."

My cell phone rang and I saw it was my mother. "Will you please excuse me, I need to take this." I leaned into Bella, whispering into her ear, "It's my mother. I'm going to invite them over tomorrow night to meet someone."

I hurried outside of the diner answering the phone just before it would've rolled to voicemail. "Hey, Mom, how are you and Dad this morning?"

"Morning, Darling. How are my grandchildren doing? When are you going to come into the city for a visit?"

I laughed at her, she had just been here a week ago, and she's already laying on the guilt about not visiting enough. "Actually Mom I was hoping you and Dad would drive over tomorrow for dinner and stay the night with us. There is someone I want you to meet."

I had to pull my phone away from my ear from the sound of the squeal my mother let out.

"Who is she? Oh honey, I never thought you'd get passed the whole Bella situation. Agh, sorry, forget I said that last part. I'm just happy for my son. So tell me all about her."

Laughing at her I said, "Who said it was a woman? Can you come tomorrow? I'll have Mrs. Cope cook since we both know I'm next to hopeless in the kitchen."

"Sure Darling, we'll be there by 4:00. I love you sweet boy."

"Love you too, Mom."

I walked back in to our table just as Brandi brought over the check. Charlie was getting up to leave and after paying for our breakfast, Bella and I walked out with him.

"Have you heard anything circulating around, Chief? Bella and I warned the girls last night about how fast the rumors would spread."

Charlie just shook his head. "No, and I'm just going to say this, I'm glad you two already talked about it, you'll need the support of each other because once it becomes known that Riley is yours Edward, people may get nasty."

"I hope not, Daddy and I hope it will blow over soon. Did you invite your Mom, Edward?"

"Yes, Mom and Dad are coming for dinner tomorrow night. Charlie would you like to come to dinner at my house tomorrow? We're going to tell my parents about Riley."

His eyes grew really wide. "Edward, I'm not sure that's a good idea. Maybe after the news sets in we can have a big family dinner with everyone, but Esme and Carlisle are in for a shock, and that's something just the four of you should be a part of."

After Bella said goodbye to her father, and he gave Riley a kiss, we got back into my car to drive to Port Angeles.

"Ok, so are we furniture shopping first, or do you want to hit Babies R Us first?"

"Do you mind if we look at the furniture? I'm not sure what I'm going to be able to find here that I like and I want to get it delivered as soon as possible. I love my dad, but I'm ready to have my own space again."

We had just entered Port Angeles when I passed my cellular provider's store. I made a quick U-turn and parked in front of the store. "Come on, no time like the present to change your phone." I told Bella to go ahead in and look for a phone she liked, that I would bring the baby in. Riley had passed out on the drive up. Bella said that if he was in a car longer than 15 minutes he was gone. I remember a couple of car rides where Bella had done the same thing. I gingerly picked him up, hoping he'd stay asleep a little longer. There was nothing as sweet as a sleeping baby, and my son was no different. I put my nose to the area right behind his ear, I just loved the way babies smelled and it was always concentrated in that spot. Bella had the diaper bag so I locked the car and went into the store. I waved away the associate that was immediately in my face. Bella was looking over the displays at a BlackBerry. "You want a BlackBerry?"

"I have one now, but its time for a newer model and I'm going to get the Bold. I'll need all of my information ported over to the new phone. Do you think I should give Jacob a taste of his own medicine and block his calls?"

I had to chuckle at her a little. It would serve the dog right to have her do it. My chuckling disturbed Riley, but a few pats to the diaper and he snuggled into my neck and went back to sleep. The associate helping Bella took the model she wanted and her current phone and told her it would only be a few moments. Bella looked so happy standing there watching everything around her. "I'm so glad you came home, Bella. I don't think you realize just how happy I am to be with you and Riley." I couldn't stay away from her any longer, so I wrapped my free arm around her, pulling her tightly into my chest. "I don't want to let go, ever." She wrapped her arms around my waist and kissed my heart. "I don't want to either, Edward."

Once Bella had her new phone, we put Riley back into his seat and got into the car. She was sending a mass text to her contacts alerting them to her number change. "I sent a text to everyone but Jake. I'll call Dad with the number, and ask that he not give it to Billy or Jacob." I drove us to a furniture store my mother goes to when she's here.

Bella and I spent over three hours pushing Riley in his stroller looking at sofas, living room sets, dining rooms, and a personal favorite of mine, the bedroom sets. Riley was actually staying pretty calm so Bella was able to concentrate. She picked out a simple wood and ironwork queen bed and matching dresser and nightstand. I helped her select the mission style dining room and we both fell in love with a chocolate leather L-shaped sectional that would fit the cottage living room well.

Luckily it was all in stock and would be delivered in four days, on Friday. We had just left the store when Riley let out a wail. "Uh oh, it's passed his lunch time." Bella had his baby food, we just needed a place to eat. We were right around the corner from that Italian restaurant I had taken her to so long ago. "Do you feel like Italian? Bella Italia is just over there. You can feed him while we wait for our lunch."

"Sure, I need to change him, but I can do that in the ladies room."

We walked over to the restaurant and while Bella was changing Riley I got the server to set up a chair for Riley and bring our drinks.

**BPOV**

Ry was in a rare mood. As I changed him, he let everyone in the restroom know he was not a happy baby. He cried for 'Dada', he cried for Grandpa, I gave him a bottle and hoped that would help appease him until I could get his food out at the table.

Edward had been so helpful all day. It was nice spending time together again. I was able to get my new phone, order the furniture for the cottage and after my meetings with Eric and his team tomorrow I would be an official resident of the town of Forks, Washington, all over again. I know I've always been a resident, but having a home of my own and a job just makes it all so much more permanent.

Now I just have to get passed telling Esme and Carlisle. I honestly had no clue about how they will take the news. I know Esme will love Riley, but as Dad said earlier, it will be quite the shock. I am really hoping it goes over at least as well as Dad took the news.

I made my way over to where Edward was sitting; he stood and took Mr. Crankypants, trying to calm him down. I hurried to get his lunch of strained peas, carrots and bananas out, I was so glad I wasn't a baby. Edward had him situated in the high chair and Riley greedily ate as fast as I could get the spoon in his mouth. Thankfully this was one of the rare times the food didn't go everywhere. The server came over to take our order and I had not even looked at the menu.

"Bella, do you want that mushroom ravioli dish you ate before?" The man remembers what I ate years ago? "Sure, Edward, that will be fine."

He placed our orders as I continued feeding Riley. Once he was done, I cleaned his face, wiped the tray and put a few cheerios out for him to play with.

Edward looked at me and laughed. "He was really hungry, reminds me of Emmett. He's always cranky when he hasn't eaten. My poor little guy here just wanted his lunch, Momma, cut him some slack." He pouted out his lip just the way Riley would before he started to cry. I had always seen a lot of Edward in Riley, but the more I see them together the more similarities I see .

When our food arrived, we ate and just talked more about our time apart. I told Edward about the deterioration of my marriage to Jake and how after I decided to remain in California with Jake during my pregnancy we had become more roommates than anything else. Jake knew how I felt and never pushed me for anything. I'd go to sleep early and Jake would come in sometime later. Our physical relationship ended before I left for Seattle. I knew Jake had to have found someone to be with because after the 'Riley revelation' he spent more and more nights away from home. He'd spend time with the baby, and helped me with the house, but we just existed in the same space. I felt guilty for hurting him, which kept me there along with my insecurities of what I would do if I left.

Edward told me how he immersed himself in work. He accepted project after project and focused on the girls. He spent time with his family, but he also just existed in that space.

We talked about how to tell the rest of his family, Alice and Jasper, Emmett and Rose.

Alice troubled me a little; she could go either way with her reaction, it could be one of absolute happiness or she could completely shut me out. She didn't want us to be together in the first place and now that Edward and I are forever tied together through Riley, I did not know how she would react.

"Bella, don't worry about Alice. She's going to be happy for us, she may want to have first dibs at Chelsea, but she won't be angry." He could always read me so well. The past two days have been pretty wonderful. I was so prepared for him to hate me and I had been scared that he'd do what Jake said he would. I should have had more faith in the Edward I knew. I was hopeful that we'd make it back together, but if in the end we don't make it, at least Edward will be involved in Riley's life.

Edward paid for lunch, refusing to let me do it. "Let's go to the baby store, ok? I'm sure there's a lot in there to keep Ry occupied."

Edward drove straight to the Babies R Us. "How are you so familiar with the baby store, Edward?" I laughed at the blush rising on his cheeks.

"It's not like I know a lot of pregnant women, Bella. I came over here with Alice to pick out things for Rosalie. I think the whole family is going a little overboard with her pregnancy." Sadness fell across his face again. "It should have been that way for you. We should have been celebrating his life. I can guarantee he's going to have the best first birthday imaginable, if Mom and Alice have anything to say about it."

I pushed Riley in the shopping cart while Edward was checking out different cribs and dressers. Every time Riley's attention was caught by a toy Edward added it to the cart. He found a stroller for his house, a highchair, and picked up a duplicate of the car seat.

"Edward how are you planning to get all of this back to your house, there is no way more than a few things will fit in the car."

He waved that off. "I'm having most of it delivered tomorrow. I'll take the highchair, the seat for my car and the toys, everything else will be delivered."

Before we left the store he had the same pack 'n play I did, he picked out several new outfits and two boxes of diapers, not to mention a complete nursery suite picked out. In less than an hour he'd spent more than $2000 outfitting his house for Riley. Edward was back to carrying Riley as the cart was overflowing, but after he paid he passed Riley to me so he could get everything arranged in the car. Riley was safe in his seat surrounded by boxes. I made sure anything plastic was well out of his reach. He didn't pay any attention to the other things around him as he was busy playing with a stuffed lion that Edward had gotten him.

"Would you like to eat dinner with the girls and I tonight? I'm sure they'd enjoy seeing you and Riley. Katie kept going on and on about him last night. Irina was even talking about him."

I shook my head. "Not tonight. It's been a long day for him, so he'll probably go down early tonight. Besides, we're having dinner tomorrow with your parents, so I should be with Dad tonight."

It was after 5 o'clock when Edward pulled up to Charlie's house. Edward walked us in and spent a few more minutes with Riley. "I hate leaving you, Buddy, but I'll see you tomorrow when you and your Momma come to meet your Grandma Esme and Grandpa Carlisle." He gave Ry a kiss on his head and then put him in the playpen. I hadn't wanted to intrude on their time, so I was busy in the kitchen starting dinner. I felt him wrap his arms around my waist. "Thanks for today, Bella. It felt like old times." He kissed my hair before stepping back. I walked him out to the porch. "So what time should Ry and I get there tomorrow?"

"Mom and Dad will probably be here around 4 o'clock so whenever you want to come over is fine. You're just going in to the office for a little while, right? Do you need me to watch Riley?"

I shook my head, "No, Dad is going to watch him for me. I only have a few forms to fill out and then Eric is going to go over what my duties will be, I'll get my schedule and pick up the assignments. I should be out of there in an hour or so. We'll come over around 5 o'clock then."

He pulled me to him, "Don't worry about tomorrow. I think overall it will go well, and like I told you yesterday, we're in this together."

I really wanted it to be true, and looking at Edward I almost believed it. He was staring into my eyes and I could feel our connection flaring. Edward slowly lowered his head and gently pressed his lips to mine. "Goodnight, love. I'll talk to you in the morning, ok? Give Riley an extra kiss from me."

As he drove away that night, I actually believed he might be right that everything would turn out alright for us.

**OoOoO**

_**This chapter was a large pain in my backside. It's transitional we got a little more bonding time with Edward and Riley, Bella has her furniture and can move into her new home by the weekend, and it's time to tell the Cullens.**_

_**The next update will be in a week. Let me know what you think, please leave a review.**_


	17. Chapter 17 Meet the Grandparents

_**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer created the characters; I'm just inserting them into my story. No copyright infringement intended.**_

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 16

Meet the Grandparents

**EPOV**

If I said that I wasn't nervous about telling my parents about Bella and Riley, I'd be lying. It's not that I think they are going to be mad in anyway, but telling your mother no matter how old you may be, that you have a child is a nerve wracking experience. I was more worried about how Bella would be received than anything else. My parents always loved her, but they were worried about our age difference years ago more than anything else. Mom had chastised me for the way I ended things with Bella before she went to college. I think that's why she insisted on keeping contact open between Bella and the girls.

After leaving Bella at Charlie's I went home and spent the evening listening to my teenage daughters talking about boys in their class. These were the times I missed Tanya the most. These are the years when girls need their moms to explain things. Thankfully we have Shelly and Mom, Alice and Rose all try to help when they can, but it's not the same. Perhaps Bella will make the difference.

I really am trying not to get ahead of myself, but I can't help what I want. I feel like I finally have everything I ever wanted at my fingertips and I have to hold myself back from grabbing it and never letting go. I can't rush things this time around, but maybe we can speed up a tad.

Katie and Rini were happy to hear that their grandparents were coming for dinner and couldn't wait to tell them about Riley. I reminded them that Grandma and Grandpa didn't know, but that Bella and I were going to tell them before dinner. Irina had surprised me with her acceptance of Riley especially after being so cold to Bella about him at first. When I asked her about that, she told me that she had assumed that Bella was bringing Jake's baby into their lives, but learning he was her brother made the difference to her. She was no longer the baby and as a big sister she had to take care of him.

After kissing the girls goodnight I went into my room to get ready for bed. I wanted to call Bella and say goodnight, but settled for texting her. She needed her time with Charlie, too.

O~O~O

I was up early the next morning and had already spent a few hours in the studio working on something for Riley before the girls were up and ready for school. After I dropped them off, I stopped into _SPARKLE_ to speak with Alice. I was going to have to say something to her before Mom or Rose got to her. I wanted to invite Ali and Jas over to the house, but knew more than likely it would be better to meet up with them in a public setting to lessen the chance Ali would blow her top.

I got to the store just as Alice was pulling up. "Hey, big brother. What are you doing here and so early, too?"

I gave the pixie a hug, "Can't a brother just come see his little sister?"

She just looked at me with the glare my mother wields with finesse, the one that makes you spill your gut whether you want to or not.

"Actually I need to talk to you Alice. Can you spare me twenty minutes right now?" Her eyes widened, "What's up Ed?"

Alice let us into the store then locked the door behind us and led the way to the office. The store has changes so much from the first year, but it still felt like just yesterday Tanya had opened the store and Isabella Swan stepped into our lives.

"Ali, you know Bella has come home, right?" She nodded her head at me. "Have you seen her yet?" she asked.

"Yes, I ran into her at Rose's office. She's leased the cottage next door to Rose and Emmett. It was surprising to see her, really surprising, but we talked a lot. We have some things to deal with, but the feelings we had are still there Alice. She's getting divorced and we just found out that her ex and Chelsea used Irina to drive us apart."

Alice's jaw dropped. "You're getting back together? Do you really think that's such a good idea? She's just coming out of a bad marriage, and you... you've just seen her again after almost two years. Doesn't Bella have a baby? Do you really want to tie yourself to that?"

With each question I felt my temper rise. Does she really think I need her approval for relationships? She thinks I'm the type of man that couldn't love another man's son? If Riley really were Jacob's I'm pretty sure I'd love him anyway. He's just so amazing to be around.

"Alice, what Bella and I do or don't do is none of your concern. I just wanted to let you know where we were. She used to be a friend of yours. And we would have been back together after her mother passed if not for other people interfering. I want all of us to get together for dinner tomorrow, you and Jas, Em and Rose, Bella and I. We need to discuss something with you guys, so I thought we could meet at the Blue Moon. We can talk, play pool, and drink if we need to. Will you and Jasper be there?"

She had the decency to look like she was sorry for butting into my business. "I'll ask him, but I don't see why not. Look Edward, I'm your sister and I'm always going to worry, but you're right, you and Bella are both adults, so if this is something you really want, I say go for it. I just want you to be happy." I pulled her into a bear hug. She pushed me away squealing because I messed up her hair. "Get out of here, jerk. Tell Bella I'm looking forward to seeing you both tomorrow."

I walked out of the door laughing. Alice may like to poke her nose where it doesn't belong, but she doesn't have a malicious bone in her body. With the meeting set up with Alice and Jasper, I dialed Emmett from my cell while driving back to the house.

"Well if it isn't DaddyWard-bucks. What are you up to cuz?"

"Hey Em, are you and Rose free tomorrow night? Bella and I are going into Port Angeles to meet up with Alice and Jasper at Blue Moon."

"I really hope you're inviting us because you're planning on telling the news. You are telling us about Little Dude, right?" I coughed, suddenly feeling like my throat had closed.

"Ed, man, don't freak ok. You do remember that Rose was in that office, she saw Bella's baby. My Rosie may be a lot of things but stupid isn't one of them. The only reason I wasn't all over you yesterday was because Rose told me you'd come to us about it. How are you holding up, man? Finding out you have a kid like that... it would've messed with my head."

I smiled because Emmett may be an overgrown goofball, but he loved his family fiercely and would do anything to help if possible. "Honestly, I'm great. We've talked, discovered some things about our separation, but I want to sit down with you all tomorrow night and discuss everything with you. Bella and I are talking to Mom and Dad tonight. Mom is going to flip, but once she gets her hands on Riley…she'll be on cloud nine. You've got to see him, Em. He's just amazing. He knew me…it's like he knew I was his dad just by looking at me. The girls are crazy about the idea of a little brother…and Bella, oh God Em, we're getting another chance."

"I'm happy for you, Ed. Rose was going on and on about Riley. I'm glad they are moving in next door. I'll keep an eye on them for you, don't worry."

"I'm not worried about that. I wish she'd just move into the house, but we are going to _try_ taking this slowly, so she's going to furnish the cottage and I'll probably drive you all crazy with as much as I'll be next door."

"You know you're always welcome at our house, man, I mean it. With the baby coming in a couple of months, we're going to need you seasoned parents and all the advice you can give. I think that's one of the main reasons Rose showed Bella the house, she knows that Bella is right there if we have questions about the baby."

By the time I finished my conversation with Emmett, I was home. I helped Shelly straighten the house, handled a few business calls then finally gave into the urge to call Bella- I was proud of myself, I held off for at least 3 hours longer than I really wanted to.

**BPOV**

I had just gotten Riley settled on the floor with some blocks to stack when my phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey, love, how are you and Riley doing today?" I warmed hearing Edward calling me love again. "We're good, Edward. He's playing with blocks while I pick out what to wear today. I've got to get ready in a little while so I'm letting Ry play on the floor while he can. What's going on with you?"

There was a long pause, one so long I checked my phone to make sure the call was still active.

"I saw Alice this morning." Oh God.

"Really? What for?" Please say it was nothing, please say it was nothing.

"Actually I wanted to invite her to join us tomorrow night with Em, Rose and Jasper, at the Blue Moon. I told her we had talked and that we were trying to figure out where we stood, I didn't say anything about Riley. Em however, knows about Ry. When I called him he was all excited about it. Rose did know and told him. He just wants us happy, well that and to know we'll help if they panic after the baby is born."

"Emmett won't say anything to Alice, right? I just want to get through tonight with your parents, then I'll worry about Alice."

"Bella, I told you not to worry about her, she already tried to butt in and I told her to butt out of our business, ok? I want you to only worry about your new job today. Is Charlie already there to watch Riley? I could come over and take care of him, you know." He sounded so hopeful that I would need him. I hated to disappoint him, but he had to be home when his parents arrived and I definitely didn't want them to meet Riley before I was there. "Dad is coming home for lunch any minute now and will be staying with him until I get back. How casual are we going tonight? If I wear a sundress will that be too dressy or should I wear jeans?"

Edward was laughing. It was so good to hear it. "As long as you don't show up naked, we're good. I take that back, I'd prefer naked, but not with my parents here."

The smirk he must have on his face, I could hear in his voice. "Good to know. So, since naked is out, I'm going to wear my blue sundress and sandals. Should I bring anything, or do you and Mrs. Cope have it handled?"

"We've got it. Shelly is making the lasagna recipe that was your grandmother's. I've got the bread ready to put garlic and butter on before putting it in the oven and we have a salad as well. The girls are looking forward to you and Riley getting here."

"Well I better get ready, or I won't be going anywhere. We'll be over before 5, ok?"

Dad walked in as I was ending the call. "Hey Dad, I really want thank you for watching Ry today."

He walked over to where Riley was stacking his blocks, crouching down to get a better look at him. "It's not a problem, Bells. Riley and I will enjoy our 'Man Time'." He was a little slower coming up from the crouch than getting into it. "Ooof, I think I'm starting to show my age, kid. It's harder getting off the ground than it used to be. You go get ready Bells, you've only got about 30 minutes before you need to get out of here."

I rushed up to my room and pulled out the simple dress I was going to wear to the office, and providing that I don't get it dirty I'll wear it tonight. I pulled my hair into a clip and added just a small amount of makeup to finish off my look. I got everything I would need to take into the _Weekly_ offices and headed downstairs to say goodbye to my baby.

"I shouldn't be more than an hour, Dad. If he gets hungry give him some cheerios to snack on and there is a bottle with apple juice in the refrigerator." I gave them both a kiss, Riley immediately pouting out his lip and whining. "I'll be back soon honey, I promise. Then we're going to see your daddy and meet your other grandparents."

I hurried out to my car and drove over to the paper's office. I had gone to high school with the Editor of the paper, Eric Yorkie. He was always a nice enough guy, but I was never interested. He was waiting for me as I walked in. "Bella, so great to see you. Have you gotten settled back into the Forks lifestyle yet?" I gave him a friendly squeeze, following him back into his office.

"Its great being back, Eric, I never realized just how much I missed it until I arrived back home. I'm slowly settling back in." He just smiled. "Todd," Eric said, pointed to a picture of him with a blond man, "told me he saw you out with Edward Cullen and your little boy the yesterday. What's the story there, Bella?" He was wiggling his eyebrows up and down at me, so I knew he was teasing. "You aren't planning an exposé on Forks' newest resident are you? Because you know the grapevine is faster than the printing press. Edward and I have been…reconnecting. That is all you are getting and nothing fit to print."

"No, I wouldn't dream of writing about you, are you crazy. We just hired you, I'd hate for you to quit already. I was just being curious and yes I know it killed the cat. It's just that you got into town and within a few days you're out with the town's Most Eligible Bachelor and from what Todd said it looks like he's off the market."

I had to shake my head at Eric, so much about him in high school made sense now that apparently he's out and open with his lifestyle. "Edward and I go way- way back. You remember I worked for his wife at their store our senior year. We're just…" I trailed off because really I didn't know how to describe what we were doing. "You might as well know now, but I am asking you to keep it to yourself, Edward and I have a son and we're working things out. It's going to be out soon enough, just don't print anything, ok. You were always a great friend, Er, and I'm really looking forward to working with you. So what do I need to fill out?"

Eric didn't even look surprised by my admission, he just handed me a stack of forms. "You do realize you are signing away your life?" He laughed and showed me where I was to initial pages, explained that I would be looking over submissions by the freelance journalists in the area, as well as editing the sports column. "Um, Bella, did you know Mike was our sports reporter?"

"Newton? I thought he was running his parents' store now?" Eric nodded, "He is, but volunteered to write up a column for the paper, summarizing the latest games and what was going on around here. He married Jessica a few years back, but was really interested to hear you were going to be working here.

"Eric, you are so lucky you didn't tell me this before I came home. He's one reason to stay away!" We laughed for a while about Mike and his puppy dog ways. After getting everything signed and taking the tour of the offices, including mine that I would use 3 times a week, I told Eric goodbye and that I wanted to meet his partner, Todd.

"Maybe we can all get together next week for a drink?" Eric offered. I readily agreed. This was going to be a great place for me, and would also give me time to work on my children's stories.

I drove back to Dad's, excited about another piece of the puzzle falling into place. My life was really starting again. After Edward and I tell his family and get through that, then taking care of the crazy-cousin from hell Chelsea and Jake the jealous, I hope everything will settle down into a nice normal pace.

I walked into the house and had to run upstairs to grab my camera. Dad was lying on his back along the sofa sound asleep with a sleeping Riley on his chest drooling. I had just captured the image when Dad woke up.

"Hey Dad, did you two have fun? Looks like your wore each other out."

"He's a ball of energy until he's ready to crash. How did things go at the paper?" I slowly picked Riley up off of Charlie and rocked him to wake him up gradually. "Eric's great, Dad. Why didn't you ever tell me that he's gay?"

He just gave me this look, "You mean you didn't know it back in school? Bella, I think everyone else in town knew about Eric, but you. Todd's really nice, he's a doctor in Port Angeles. They've been together since you married Jake I think. So everything is set for your first day?"

I just nodded. "I am going to have to put up with Mike Newton, though. I swear that boy/man has always been the bane of my existence. I'm going to go up and change Riley. I told Edward we would be over before 5 and it's already after 4."

"Bells, Carlisle and Esme Cullen aren't going to attack you. I promise after you and Edward explain everything, they'll just be happy you are working things out." I gave Dad a kiss and took Riley upstairs. He was really just beginning to stir and when he saw me he got excited.

"Hey, Sweetie, we've got to get you ready to meet your Grandma Esme. She's just going to love you." I washed his face, changed his diaper and dressed him in jeans, a t-shirt with a plaid over shirt and tiny baby converse. All he needed were sunglasses to complete his outfit; he looked like a little man. I got his bag together, packing extra clothes, pjs, diapers, formula and food. I wondered if everything had been delivered from Babies R Us yet. I could just see Esme's reaction if the truck arrived this late. I'm sure she'd assume he'd knocked up a girl, she'd be right, just over 10 months late.

I put the bag over my shoulder, looped a sweater through the handle and carried Riley down the steps. "Ok, we're out of here. Wish me luck, Daddy." He walked over and gave me a much needed hug. "Don't forget I'm here if you want me to rescue you. Love you Bells, and you Mr. Riley, take care of your momma."

I fastened Riley into his seat, putting the bag on the floor in front of his seat and then got into the driver's seat. I grabbed my phone, dialing Edward's cell phone.

"Hello?" It was a female voice. "Hello… Bella? It's Irina." I sighed with relief that it wasn't Esme. "Hey Rini, I was just calling your dad to let him know we were on our way. Are your grandparents there yet?"

"Yes, they got here about 20 minutes ago. Dad is dodging Grandma's questions right now. Do you want me to get him?" I giggled, picturing Edward trying not to give anything away. "No, just let him know I called and will be there in a few minutes."

Riley was playing with his lion, talking up a storm. "You excited, baby? I hope it's a good night." I had just pulled up to the house when Edward walked out. He opened my door, helping me out then opened the back door, handing me the diaper bag, before unfastening Riley and picking him up.

"How's my boy? Have you been good for Mom and Grandpa Charlie?" Edward kissed Ry's head, then checking to see that the coast was clear, he kissed me. It was just a quick peck on the lips, but enough to start the blush on my cheeks. "Mom is in the kitchen warming dinner. She shooed Shelly out as soon as they got here. Are you ready to go in?"

I nodded, "Let's do this."

Edward wrapped his free arm around my waist, guiding me up the stairs towards the front door. We walked into the house, Riley squealing when the girls came down the stairs, obviously waiting for us. "Mom, Dad, would you come into the den?" The noise level in the house rose as Kate and Irina cooed over Riley. They both gave me a quick greeting before turning back to Ry. "Girls, can you guys give us a few minutes with Grandma and Grandpa? I'll call you back down soon, I promise, and then you can play with Riley."

Kate and Irina were walking towards the stairs when Esme and Carlisle walked into the room.

She gasped, "Bella?" Carlisle was wearing a huge grin on his face. "Look at you, all grown up now." He pulled me into his arms, "It's so good to see you sweetheart." Esme was smiling, but looking at Edward with Riley.

"Mom, you ok?" When she nodded, he said, "Let's sit down, ok? Bella and I have something to tell you." We all sat and I noticed that now both Carlisle and Esme were watching Riley. Edward looked at me, then turning Riley in his arms and sitting him on his lap he said, "Mom and Dad I want you to meet my son, Riley Masen Swan."

**EPOV**

I thought just saying it would be better than drawing it out. Maybe I should have thought of a better way.

"What?" My mother shrieked, causing Riley to cry, which in turn set Bella on edge as she tried to calm him down. My father ended up being the voice of calm for us all.

"Es, dear, it seems we have a new grandchild. Bella, may I hold him?" Bella wiped Riley's tears and passed him to my father.

"He's beautiful. Hey there, champ. I'm your Grandpa Carlisle. I bet you have a lot of fun with your Grandpa Charlie, don't you? We'll have to take you fishing once you are old enough. Esme isn't he beautiful? He's a perfect blend of Bella and Edward."

Mom just looked at Riley and nodded. She reached out to touch his cheek before looking up at me and Bella.

"How? I mean why didn't we know of this?"

Over the next twenty minutes Bella and I gave my parents the PG version of events. We explained our reconnection in Seattle when Renee was dying, our plans for her return to Forks at that time, as well as what we know of Jake and Chelsea's involvement in keeping us apart.

As we explained, I saw my mom getting angrier and angrier. "That little witch. What gave her the right to mess with your lives? You two have never had an easy path, have you?"

I was holding Bella's hand in my lap, watching my parents fawning over Riley and remembered we needed to call Kate and Irina back down. I left Bella on the sofa and walked to the base of the stairs. "Katie, Rini, come down please, dinner will be ready soon."

Bella was speaking with Mom as I walked back in. "I really do Esme, but after all of this I need to be careful." She smiled at me as I took my seat beside her, taking her hand back into mine.

"You do what, Bella?" She blushed, "I was just telling your mom how we're taking everything slowly and that we have to be careful because of the kids. You know I have to find a family attorney here. I need to find out what has to be done to amend Riley's birth certificate."

"We'll get it sorted out. I'll talk to my attorney and see who he recommends." Bella and I sat back on the sofa watching my parents and daughters interacting with our son. It felt so good to even think those words. Bella was smiling and laughing as Riley pulled up on Dad's lap and was bouncing. I had to laugh when he jumped and landed just right on his Grandpa, causing Dad to groan. I think it was all he could do not to grab himself. Mom was giggling like Kate and Irina were. Bella jabbed me in the stomach with her elbow. "Ooof, what was that for?" She just shook her head, "You shouldn't laugh at your father, one day Riley will get you like that, and then who'll be laughing." I leaned into her, whispering, "You'll take care of me though, right? Nurse me back to health."

Goosebumps formed on Bella's arms. She could try to keep her distance, but I knew she was affected as much as I was by our proximity. "Sure. I wouldn't want you to have to explain certain unusual swelling to your doctor…I'll take care of you." She was bright red. I glanced up seeing my mother watching us closely. She couldn't hear our whispered conversation, but she certainly saw Bella's blush.

"I think the lasagna should be ready by now. Girls, take Riley and get him set up in the highchair. Mom, you and Dad go sit with them, Bella and I will bring dinner to the table." I led Bella into the kitchen and once out of everyone's eyesight, I gathered her into my arms, pulling her tight against me. "You are a very naughty woman, Ms Swan." I kissed her forehead and then pressed mine to hers. "See that went well. Kate and Irina are doing great, Mom and Dad are just nuts over Riley, and nothing about dinner is ruined." I took the lasagna and a trivet to the table, while Bella got the bread from the oven and plated it, and brought the salad. "Do you need to get Riley's food?" She nodded and went to get his dinner from the bag while I got everyone's drinks and a bottle for Ry.

Once we were all settled at the table with Riley at one end with Bella on one side and me on the other, Mom started in on her questions. "Have you told your sister yet?"

I shook my head, "No, but we are meeting Ali and Jas, Em and Rose tomorrow to tell them. Rose already figured it out and told Emmett, so Alice will be mad about being the last to know, but I'm just hoping she takes it as well as you two have." Bella was slowly relaxing as the conversation flowed around her. Riley was eating well and only got fussy as he got full. Bella was going to take him out of his seat, but I asked her to let me. I wanted to take every opportunity to hold him that I could.

"You seem very content, Edward. It's been a whirlwind few days hasn't it?"

"You don't know the half of it, Mom. It's nice to just be right now. Bella is moving into the cottage on Friday, we were shopping yesterday for furniture for her house as well as nursery furniture for the former playroom. Kate and Irina were setting up the crib earlier, getting it ready for Riley, after it was delivered and assembled."

Bella looked at me, "It's all here?" I nodded. "It was delivered after I got off the phone with you earlier. They set up the crib and the girls put the bedding on it. Now we'll just have to arrange a sleepover." I saw the way her eyes flashed. She wasn't nervous, she was wary and worried.

"What is it, Bella?"

"I've never been away from him for more than a few hours, Edward. I don't know how he'll do spending a night away from me or truthfully how I'll handle it either."

I guess I should have phrased that better. "No, Bella, I didn't mean it like that. I meant for both of you to sleep over. Maybe next weekend we can make plans." That didn't necessarily come out any better. I don't want her thinking I wanted to get her into bed… shit, even my internal monologue doesn't make sense. I heard a low giggle coming from the direction of my mother.

"Edward dear, just spit it out. Tell her you want her to stay over. The guest rooms are still set up."

I looked at Bella. "Could you stay tonight? Mom and Dad will be here and I can loan you something to sleep in."

Bella was bent over from the force of the laugh coming out of her. "Y-yes, I have enough clothes for Riley, and I can just go home to change in the morning, or Dad could drop off clothes for me. I know you hate saying goodbye to him each night, so let's give it a try."

We spent another hour just talking. Kate and Irina had homework to finish, so they headed up early to take care of that. I told them I would be up later to tell them goodnight. Bella got Riley ready for bed, changing him into his pjs and giving him his nighttime bottle.

Once he was down for the night and Bella had double checked everything in the room, we took the receiver to the baby monitor and went down stairs to sit with my parents. We found them out on the back deck.

"He's out for the night, I hope." Bella told my parents.

"So, are you two going to give being together another go?" Leave it to my mother to start the inquisition.

"Mom, please, we are trying to find our way here. There was a lot standing between us, and we still have to confront a couple of people about that." Bella nodded. "Esme you know how I felt about Edward all those years ago. It never went away, as much as I might have wished it to at times, and when we met again in Seattle when Mom was hospitalized, those feelings were in full effect. What we have to do now is remember there are three children that will be affected by this if it goes bad, not that I think it will, but we have to put that consideration there. Taking our time is not a bad thing. I'm moving this weekend, I start a new job Monday, Edward has only known about Riley for a few days…There really is no rush." She stood up then looked at me, "Please excuse me for a minute. I need to phone Dad and tell him Riley and I are sleeping over, otherwise the Chief may show up in the middle of the night with his shotgun." Bella walked back into the house and I turned to my mom.

"We're taking this slow, Mom. Bella is worried about Riley getting hurt. We have all this crap from Jake and Chelsea to deal with, not to mention we'll be the talk of the town for a while. Irina is trying, but she was so awful towards Bella in the beginning and I know she still has issues with that. Honestly, I want nothing more than to move her in here permanently, but she isn't ready for that, and we've become different people than we were 8 years ago. We have a lot to learn about each other."

My mother moved to sit beside me. Dad was looking over at us and decided to give his opinion on our situation. "Edward, you know I've always liked Bella. She was good for you and the girls after Tanya died. While I was worried that the age gap would be too much, the love you two felt was undeniable. I had hoped you could find a way to work it out while she was away at school, but when that didn't happen you got an even better chance when Renee died. It seems like Fate keeps giving you the option of Bella forever, maybe now is the time to make sure it happens. Take your time, learn all the new things about each other and see what has changed. You two deserve to find your happiness."

Mom nodded her head in agreement with my father. "There was something special years ago that got cut short. These are different circumstances now and you have greater responsibilities, but of anyone, I believe if this is what you and Bella want you will make it happen. My only advice would be to keep the lines of communication open between you. You can see what lack of communication has done in the past."

Bella came back through the door at that moment. "I checked on Riley, he's still sleeping soundly. I spoke to Charlie and he will drop off a change of clothes for me in the morning. You may want to prepare yourself Edward; Dad wants a few minutes with you for the obligatory 'You hurt my daughter and I'll make you disappear' talk I'm sure."

I just laughed, trying not to show how nervous that thought made me. "Good he can give me pointers for when the girls start bring home boys."

Bella sat down in the spot my mother quickly vacated. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to me. She stiffened at first and then relaxed against me. "I'm happy to talk to him Bella. I want him to understand what happened, and what my feelings for you are."

We spent the rest of the evening outside speaking with my parents. Bella started yawning, so I glanced at my watch and couldn't believe it was already past 11 o'clock. "I think it's time to turn in. I'll get you something to sleep in Bella." We walked inside and I went into my room to get her a t-shirt and shorts that had a drawstring. "These should work for you. I'll walk you up, I want to check on Kate and Irina, and take a look at Riley as well."

Kate was just getting into bed when we stopped in to say goodnight. "Night Daddy, Night Bella, I'm happy you'll be here in the morning." Bella walked over and gave Kate a hug.

"I've missed you Katie-bug. Get some sleep; you have school in the morning."

Irina wasn't in her room so we walked over to the playroom. The sight we were met with warmed my heart. Irina was sitting in the rocking chair holding Riley and they were both sound asleep.

Bella took Riley gently from Irina's arms, trying not to wake him. I picked Irina up, and carried her into her room. Bella rushed in after me and pulled the covers back. I got her tucked in, kissing her forehead. I hadn't had to tuck her into bed in several years. It's amazing how fast time flies and how quickly your children grow.

I wandered back over to the nursery to look in on Riley, he was just laying there looking so peaceful. He slept in the same position Bella did on his back with his arms thrown over his head. I wondered if we'd ever get back to that point, the one where I could watch her sleep, if not I would survive because at least I would see her and be able to have time with Ry. In just a few days he had me completely wrapped around his fingers.

"If he sees you, he'll never go back to sleep. Come on, walk me up." Bella placed her hand on top of mine, removing it from the crib. She led me out of the room and up the stairs, not letting go of my hand. "He likes it here, Edward. And seeing him with your parents and the girls earlier, it was just wonderful. It's everything I hoped it would be after I found out I was pregnant." We stopped at the guestroom door. "I want you to know that this is what I want. I want us all to be together. I want Riley to grow up with both of his parents loving each other, living together, with his sisters and maybe more siblings. That is what I see as a future for us, and I hope you aren't upset that I want us to do this the right way.

I stopped her from continuing on by kissing her. This was no tease of a kiss. I poured everything I was feeling into it. I felt it when her knees gave out and pulled her against me, keeping her up.

When she started to whimper, I gentled the kiss, finally with a few pecks I pulled myself back.

I couldn't help but feel smug at the look on her face.

"Wow" was all she said.

"Yeah, we still have it I see." She laughed at that.

"Bella, that's exactly what I want. I don't care if it takes us years…well maybe I'll care if it is years, but I don't mind taking time for this. What is between us is important enough to do it right, and for the children."

She wrapped her arms around my waist and gave me a hug. "Thank you, Edward, for everything. Goodnight." I kissed her forehead keeping my hands to myself for fear of losing control.

"Goodnight, sweet Bella, pleasant dreams."

"Edward, don't forget that my father is coming over to talk to you in the morning." She was smiling at the look that must have passed over my face.

Chief of Police, Charlie Swan was coming over to my house in the morning. The house where his daughter lived briefly when she was a teenager, the same house that she's spending the night in…with her baby and , gulp, me the 'baby daddy'. I hope he leaves his guns at home.

Oh boy….

**OoOoO**

_**So the Senior Cullens took it well, Edward also saw Alice and was quick to tell her to butt out of his business, and ahem, Charlie is coming to talk to Edward. That should be fun.**_

_**Up next Swan v. Cullen with the 'talk' and Bella and Edward tell the rest of the gang, well really Alice and Jasper as Em and Rose already know.**_

_**Let me know what you thought about it. Leave a review. **_

_**The next update will be within a week.**_


	18. Chapter 18

_**Stephenie Meyer owns it all. No copyright infringement intended.**_

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 17

**EPOV**

Sleeping was not coming easily for me. Not only was I reliving the kiss I shared with Bella, but her reminder that Charlie was coming in the morning and that he wanted to speak to me wasn't helping. I think I may have managed 3 hours of sleep before giving up and getting dressed. My clock read 4:30 so I decided to head upstairs to the studio to work on the CD that I wanted to record for Riley. I wanted Bella to be able to play my music for him when I wasn't able to be there.

I walked up to the second floor checking first on Kate, then Irina, both were sleeping soundly. I tried to be as quiet as I could as I eased Riley's door open and walked over to his crib. He hadn't moved since Bella put him down for the night. I was really just in awe of Riley. He had just the right amount of baby chubbiness, with his chubby cheeks and dimples, his mother's tendency to flush. The joy of just observing him filled me to bursting. I slowly backed out of the room, not wishing to bring the wrath of Mommy if I were to wake Riley this early.

Bypassing Bella's door, not wanting to tempt Fate if I opened it, I walked into the studio. Bella had told me that Charlie would be by on his way to the station, so I knew he'd be here sometime after 6AM. I set my cell phone alarm so I would be downstairs when he got here, then got to work. I recorded several slower pieces including Bella's song, then I started playing the lullaby I had been working on for Riley, just finishing before my alarm went off. I headed downstairs to start a pot of coffee and make some breakfast.

I was hoping that maybe eggs and bacon would lessen Charlie's desire to kill me. The breakfast was just finished when I heard a car pulling up to the house.

Here goes nothing.

**Charlie POV**

After speaking to Bella last night, there was a nice spring to my step this morning. So far everything seems to be coming together for my baby girl. I knew she wouldn't have much to worry about when it came to Carlisle and Esme Cullen, but I have to say the one surprise for me has been Edward. He had every right to be angry at Bella. He could have punished her by making legal demands, but he's accepted the baby with open arms. I think he's maybe hoping for not just a relationship with Riley, but Bella as well. That's why I'm taking Bella her clothes, its time to have a talk with him.

I'm usually on duty by 7 AM, so I left early enough to give myself at least enough time to put the fear of God in him. I drove up to the quite Cullen house arriving there by 6:15. Bella told me what to bring for her, so I carried up her overnight bag, as I walked to the door. I'd never admit it if asked, but I was nervous about this. Bella and Edward had a history I wasn't sure I really wanted to know about. I think in this case perhaps ignorance is bliss.

I had just raised my hand to ring the bell when the door opened. And there he was, looking a little green around the gills. "Morning, Edward, I hope I'm not getting you up too early."

He led me into the kitchen and poured me a cup of coffee. "Bella told me to expect you this morning. I was already up working on a new piece in the studio. So Chief, what do you want to say to me?"

I sat beside Edward on a barstool. "I…look Edward, this is a sensitive topic for me. I wouldn't have any problems if this involved someone other than my daughter and grandson. I know you are aware of what a father goes through for his little girl. I honestly thought until Bella came home, that she and Jake were the perfect family…"

I couldn't do this sitting down just yet. "I guess with everything that was going on with Renee, I just didn't see it, or want to see what was happening with her. I have to tell you that I was ready to haul you into the station and get one of the deputies to make you disappear for hurting Bella the way you did. I wanted to make sure you wouldn't do anything to hurt either of them again."

I gave him my best 'Chief' glare, before smiling down at him. Edward just sat there willing to take whatever I was going to throw at him.

"After listening to Bella tell me how easily you accepted Riley, how you didn't react to Bella the way either of us expected…I wonder why you let her go so easily."

Edward looked up at me, a determined glint in his eyes. "I know you probably don't want to hear this, Charlie, but I've been in love with your daughter for so long…I don't think you can imagine the hurt and anger I felt when Bella- well I thought it was Bella, broke up with me. Jacob called, telling me he knew about us, that Bella had told him all about our history. He spun it so that I truly thought she was where she wanted to be, and that she didn't want me. I remember you telling me about Bella's big news, being pregnant, you kept saying how happy both of them were and I was just sick to my stomach. I don't blame Bella at all; I blame two people for the time lost with my son, for the hurt Bella suffered, the hurt I suffered as well. Jacob had a large hand in this, but we don't have his exact reasoning, I can only imagine it was his way of keeping Bella. He knew about us, knew she was moving back to be with me and he was desperate to keep her. I can't say I wouldn't do the same thing, because I did something much worse a long time ago, I pushed her away."

I knew I wasn't going to want to hear this. It was getting into that gray area where fathers are best left in the dark.

"Was this the reason Bella suddenly took off for California? Are you the reason she gave up the scholarship to UW?" I was trying to keep the anger and fear of the answer out of my voice. I needed to be levelheaded to hear this. He was looking down at his hands, his shoulders slumped.

"I thought that doing what I did was the right thing to do. I said some things to her, trying to make her hate me. I never thought she'd give up UW…"

"What did you do to my daughter, Edward? Just what happened that you needed her to hate you?"

He stood up and walked over to the coffeepot. "When I told you I've been in love with your daughter for a long time, I didn't mean just a couple of years, Charlie. I fell in love with Bella 8 years ago. About 6 months after Tanya's death I admitted to your daughter I had serious feelings for her, but some things happened and Irina was having such a rough time coping, that I broke it off with Bella. I thought she deserved to have a better life, she was young and had so much ahead of her and I didn't want to hold her back." I could still see the hurt and confusion on her face as I lied to her again and again.

"I made the biggest mistake of my life that day. I kept hoping I would get a chance to apologize to her and maybe we could find our way back, but then Jacob was back in her life and I knew she had moved on. I tried my damnedest to not think about her, I concentrated on the girls, work, but she was always with me. Renee is the one that made me go talk to Bella. She saw us react when I went to see her in the hospital. Your wife was such an amazing woman, she told me no matter what Bella had told her, she knew she wasn't happy and that she wanted me to make her happy. I fell harder for Bella during the time we were together. We made serious plans for when she moved home. She and Jake had talked about filing for divorce, they were separated already. Hell, I went to my mother and got my grandmother's ring for Bella. I was all in then, and I am all in now. She's giving us a chance, and I want it with all that I am. All of it, Bella and Riley, living here, married, more kids."

As a father it was all I could do not to both punch him and hug him. Edward had just confirmed that he and Bella started when my baby was still a baby. He hurt her…but he did it to help her. Edward could have manipulated Bella so easily back then, she would have given up college period if he'd asked, I'm sure of it. I can see that he loves her and I know he's a good man. Hell, he's only had a few speeding tickets in his life and he's got a clean record…

Hey what's the use of being Chief of Police if I can't run a background check on the man interested in being in my daughter's life?

"Are you really ready for what the commitment to Bella and Riley will mean, Edward? I know you and Bella have talked about how the news is going to affect you all, but what about your friends, family, your work? How will everyone take the new addition to your family?"

"I couldn't care less about what anyone thinks about me, I'm ecstatic about Riley, so grateful to Bella for coming home. My parents are thrilled with the newest grandchild, Bella and I are telling my sister and cousins tonight, but I'm not expecting them to react harshly. I think the biggest reaction will be around town, but something else will draw their interest soon enough. I want you to know, Charlie, I have always taken care of my family and Bella is part of my family. I'm a financially sound, single father that has taken care of his children relatively well for the last 8 years. Regardless of whether Bella and I get married, and I really want that, rest assured they will be taken care of."

I nodded my understanding to Edward and motioned for us to both sit again. "What are you and Bella planning to do about Jacob and that woman?"

"We're still trying to decide. I know Bella wants to confront Jacob, but I don't want her to fly to Sacramento by herself and she doesn't really want to do this over the phone, but will if she has to. As far as Chelsea goes, I think she's going to have to watch her back for a long time to come. She's hurt not just me and Bella, but she told lies and twisted my daughter's feelings so much… I want her gone, but there is really nothing legal I can do to her."

Hmmm… perhaps I can help.

"Can you give me this Chelsea's full name and information? I could always call in a favor with a friend on the SPD. They could give her a few headaches, maybe a mistaken stop for unpaid tickets, or pulling her over for failure to signal, things like that."

Edward smiled and laughed at that suggestion. "It's tempting Charlie, but that's too much trouble. I'm just going to freeze her out again. Bella and I will make a trip down to Seattle and have a little chat with Chelsea and then there will be no more contact with her."

I looked at my watch and noticed I'd been here longer than I intended. "I've got to run, Edward, but I just wanted to tell you on more thing. Bella will ask if I said it, so I might as well do it." I cleared my throat, deepening my voice. "If you harm one hair on the heads of either Bella or Riley, or hurt them in anyway… I will make you disappear." I gave him my sternest glare before cracking a smile and holding out my hand. "Welcome to the family, son. Take care of them, they are my whole world."

Edward walked me out; bringing the clothes I had brought for Bella with him. "Thanks for coming by, Charlie. I'll take these up to Bella."

As I drove in to work I realized I wouldn't have to worry so much about Bella anymore. She was in capable hands, and Riley was going to have the benefit of being raised by two loving parents.

**BPOV**

"Shhh, hey little man, let's not wake Mommy just yet."

"Daddaddadada"

I came awake to happy squeals from Riley over the baby monitor. Edward was already in there tending to him.

Edward….Charlie… Oh shit!

I bolted up out of bed.

Dad was supposed to come over this morning. I looked at the clock and saw that it was already 7:30. I ran out of the door and down to the nursery.

Edward was changing Riley's diaper when I walked in.

"Good morning boys." Riley's head whipped around trying to see me, when he did his face lit up. "Hey big guy, did you sleep well?" I walked over to him and kissed his cheeks and nose while Edward finished changing him.

"Morning, Edward." He looked tired, with dark circles under his eyes.

"Are you ok? You look so tired." He leaned down and kissed my hair. "I'm fine, just not enough sleep last night. Charlie was by here already and left your clothes. I put them on the rocking chair over there." Edward was acting like he normally did, so I assume everything went well with Dad. Riley was anxious to be up so Edward stood him up on the dresser. "You ready for the day, little man? Let's go get some breakfast." The boys headed downstairs while I went up to shower and get dressed. There wasn't much to do today, so I had told Dad just to bring jeans and a t-shirt. Once I was dressed I went down to the kitchen to make breakfast for the girls.

There was a lot of laughter coming from the kitchen, Kate and Irina were sitting at the bar eating cereal, Riley was in his highchair between them eating cheerios and bananas.

Edward was at the stove as I walked over to see what he was doing.

"Hey… what time do the girls have to leave? Do you want me to drive them over to school?" Edward plated a delicious looking omelet and turned around, wrapping me in his arms. I looked over towards Irina, but she was smiling at us. "The girls are riding with friends this morning, so you just sit and enjoy your breakfast. Shelly is off for the day, but will be back tonight to watch Riley and the girls while we meet the Alice and the others." I sat on the kitchen side of the bar watching the way Irina and Kate were playing with Riley, they were so absorbed that they didn't react to the horn blowing outside.

Edward looked at the kids and laughed. "Girls, that's Mrs. Snow. Go grab your bags."

They popped up, kissing Riley, telling me goodbye before running to the door with their backpacks.

I moved over to a stool beside Riley. "That was fun. They've grown into such great girls, Edward. Irina was pleasant this morning, she was nice yesterday… and she didn't freak out when you gave me a hug. It's progress." I picked up my fork, trying to finish my breakfast.

Edward walked over to me, taking my fork and putting it down. "What?"

He pulled me up, "I haven't gotten a chance to really give you a proper 'good morning'. I wrapped my arms around him as he lowered his head to kiss me. It started out chastely just lips brushing each other, but it quickly heated. My skin suddenly felt too tight, too hot. Edward pulled me closer, and I pressed myself against him.

Riley was not happy being ignored and threw his bottle on the floor. When we broke apart, it took a few moments to catch my breath. It was obvious that Edward was as affected as I was. He was slow to release me from his arms, but finally did as he walked over to Riley. "Sorry about that, champ, but we're going to have to talk about your timing, son." A laugh bubbled up while I listened to Edward instruct our not even one year old about how Mommy and Daddy need some time to hug and kiss, too.

He's going to scar the baby for life.

I cleaned the breakfast dishes as Edward cleaned up Riley. I knew there was work for Edward to get done, so I went to get my things while he played with Riley on the den floor.

"I wish you didn't have to go, but I've got less than a week to get the arrangements finished. I'd tell you two to stay but I'd never get the work done."

Riley was climbing onto Edward's chest as he lay on the floor. "We'll be back before you know it. We're meeting everyone for dinner, right?" I was already planning to bring an overnight bag when I brought Riley back later in the afternoon. Even though I knew Riley would be well taken care of, I still didn't want to leave him yet.

"Come here, baby. We've got to let Daddy get some work done." Riley gave my cheek a smacking kiss as I picked him up.

"No, don't kiss me bye-bye, kisses for Daddy." Edward was getting to his feet and Riley was already reaching for him. "Da! Daddaddada!"

"Be good for your Mommy, OK?" Edward ruffled Riley's hair and kissed his head.

I grabbed the diaper bag and the duffel Dad brought over.

"Let me take those, you just take him." He took the bags from me and opened the door.

I got Riley fastened into his seat and went to open my door, but Edward beat me to it.

"It's going to be too quiet in there now." Edward had the most adorable pout on his face.

"That's a good thing. You can get your work done quickly then we'll have more time together later. Don't forget you'll be at my house tomorrow, and I am planning on your help tomorrow, so save your strength."

"You don't need to worry about my stamina Bella, I'm in for the long haul." He hugged me to him, just enjoying the feel of being close to one another.

"Call me when you're done, I'll make sure we're ready."

I got into my seat and Edward called to me, "Bella?" I looked up into his eyes, they were glowing with happiness.

"Make sure to bring an overnight bag. I'm not going to let you go tonight." He kissed me quickly then shut the door.

I drove back to Charlie's wishing I could just go back to Edward's. It was becoming easier and easier to be open with each other. I was trying so hard not to rush back into a relationship, but with Edward it was hard to resist.

**EPOV**

This was starting to get old.

Watching Bella leave for the day made me more determined to get my work done as quickly as possible so she can come back.

I made my way back into the house, planning to refill my coffee cup and then to head up to the studio. Those plans were put on pause as the house phone rang.

She's missing me already…love that. I grabbed the phone, not even checking the caller ID, "Five minutes… that's a record, love, missing me already?"

"I always miss you, Edward. Why don't you ever come to see me?"

No fucking way, "Chelsea? Why on Earth are you calling my house? You've never learned have you, Tanya told you years ago that my family was off limits to you."

"But Eddie, you're my only family…"

"Don't call me Eddie…listen there are a few things I need to say to you, but I really can't do it now. Can I meet you Saturday afternoon? I'll drive over to Seattle, you name the place."

The most annoying laugh came through the line. "I knew I could get you to myself. Why don't we have a late lunch and then go back to my place?"

I gave an involuntary shudder. "Send me a text of where to meet you and what time and I'll be there."

I didn't tell her that I wouldn't be coming alone. Bella was going to kill me for arranging it this weekend, but I wanted this over. I'd help her get everything set up in the cottage tomorrow and we'd take the kids to my parents Saturday.

I hung up on her and went up to work.

O~O~O

It was close to 3 o'clock when Katie sent me a text that she and Irina were on their way home. I had worked straight through lunch and my stomach was starting to let me know. Great progress had been made on the arrangement, so I didn't feel guilty at all for calling it a day. Calling Bella was at the top of my list of things to do as I walked down the stairs.

I dialed her number as I made my way into the kitchen. It rang several times before rolling over to her voicemail. I left a message that I had finished working and wanted them to hurry back over. I closed the phone and made a quick sandwich, finishing it just as the girls walked in.

"Hey Daddy!" Irina ran over for a hug. It was great that my baby girl had made a fast reappearance from that sullen angry child. Kate kissed my cheek and started to tell me about her day, as soon as boys entered into the conversation my brain decided to check out of it.

"So can I go?" Kate was looking at me with the biggest eyes, pleading with me.

"I'm sorry, where are you going?" Irina was laughing and Kate scowled at her. "Dad, Brady asked me to the Homecoming dance next week. May I go with him?"

Oh God, I was not ready for this yet.

"How old is Brady? You've never mentioned him before."

"He just moved here a few weeks ago, he's a junior, Dad, 17." My baby girl is growing up.

"Ok, but I need to meet him before you can go out. Make sure he knows if I don't meet him you aren't going with him. Do you want Alice to find you a dress, I could ask her tonight?" Kate was shaking her head.

"No, I thought Bella could take me and Rini shopping. Jared asked her to go to the dance." One of the throw pillows hit Kate square in the face.

"Shut it Kate." I just looked at Irina, "really sweetheart, Jared asked you to go? So when were you going to ask permission?"

That earned an eye roll from her. "We're just going as friends, Dad…besides you know he doesn't go for girls."

Jared was a sweet kid; he had been a great friend for Irina growing up. I had thought he'd be her first boyfriend, but _his_ first boyfriend was a year older than Jared was.

"Well Bella will be over here after I call her, so you can ask then. Oh and I know you're excited about having Riley here tonight, but remember to watch him when he's down on the floor, he's at the point he can get into trouble easily."

They went up to do their homework and I tried to reach Bella again. Just as I thought I'd get her voice-mail, she answered. "Ed-Edward?"

"Bella, honey, what's wrong?" She was crying. "Is it Riley?"

I was trying to stay calm, but the stuff that goes through my head at times like this…

"No, Riley's fine. I'm sorry to blubber in your ear. I'm OK, really. There was a message from Charlie on the table when I got home. Jake's been calling him and needed to speak to me, so I called from Dad's house phone to see what was so urgent. It didn't go well, and I tend to cry if I'm angry, so that's what it is."

"Are you sure? Do I need to come to you?" I heard her chuckle, "No, I've got everything ready so Ry and I will be there soon. I'll tell you all about it then."

Christ it has been a day. Jacob had better hope it wasn't anything serious or I will be taking the next flight to California and handing him his ass.

I was waiting outside as she drove up. I walked over to her door and pulled her out of the car. "Are you sure you're alright?" She nodded but leaned her head on my chest. "It just got ugly." She was grabbing the diaper and overnight bags as I took Riley from his car seat.

"Jake is coming up to La Push to visit Billy for Halloween and wanted to have time with Riley. He also told me that he wasn't shipping the nursery furniture, so I need to order a new set from the baby store. I didn't even get to confront him about the lies. If he's coming into the area, I'd rather do it in person."

We settled into the living room and I sat with Riley on the floor so he could play with his toys. "What all did he say, Bella?"

She looked at me, then taking a deep breath she sighed. "He started by telling me he wanted me to come home. He didn't ask anything about what I had done since moving here, didn't ask about Riley, all he said was I want you to come home with me.

I told him that wasn't going to happen, that Riley and I were moving into our new house tomorrow. Then Jake dropped the bomb about not shipping the furniture. Aside from our clothes those are the only things I wanted from the house, so instead of fighting about that and having to wait another week or two, I'm going to order a new crib and see if it can be delivered tomorrow. When Jake started making ugly comments about you and Riley, I hung up. I couldn't listen to him anymore."

She was starting to shake again as the anger built back up.

"Deep breath, love, Jake isn't worth working yourself up over. We'll deal with him in a few weeks, for now let me call the store and order a duplicate of Riley's crib for the cottage."

**BPOV**

Edward went to get the paperwork from his delivery. I wasn't even going to argue, speaking to Jake had drained me. I'm starting to think that Jacob is trying to drive me crazy. Our divorce is final in just a few weeks and he's telling me I need to come home? He's delusional, and now he's going to be in town stirring up trouble on Riley's first Halloween.

I. Don't. Think. So.

He's not going to mess up the life I am rebuilding here. If necessary I'll take out a restraining order. I really needed to calm down, especially since we were meeting Alice and Jasper tonight. I was looking forward to hanging out with Emmett and Rosalie, but anything could happen with Alice. Riley was busy building a block tower and getting pleasure from knocking it over.

I'm glad he hasn't been affected by all the craziness that goes on around him.

The girls came down and were playing on the floor with Riley when Edward came back and sat on the sofa beside me. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and I snuggled into his side. "They're delivering tomorrow afternoon, so no need to worry."

We sat on the sofa enjoying the sight of the children on the floor. If I allowed myself it would be so easy to see a few more in the mix.

I could feel Edward's stare burning a hole in me. He knew what I was imagining, just as I knew he liked the thought.

"We've got a couple of hours before we need to meet everyone. Are you comfortable leaving Riley with the girls for a few minutes? There's something I need to tell you."

He stood up and pulled me to my feet. "Sure, they'll be fine, and it's not like we're leaving the house."

Edward told the girls to watch over Riley, that we were going outside to the deck to talk.

I followed as he led the way through the back door.

"What's going on Edward? You sounded so serious for a minute." He took my hands as we settled into the same loveseat we'd used years ago.

"I got a call this morning right after you left. I thought it was you when I answered and got a not so nice shock when I realized it wasn't. You and I have a late lunch meeting scheduled for Saturday in Seattle, Bella."

What? "Why are we going to Seattle and who are we meeting?"

Edward rubbed a hand up my arm trying to soothe me. "The caller this morning was Chelsea and Saturday we are ridding ourselves of her forever."

O~O~O

**Ok, so we didn't quite make it to dinner with Alice and Jasper, but that will be up first in the next chapter. Also its moving time for Bella, she'll finally get settled into the cottage.**

**So Chelsea will be dealt with and Jacob is coming to town in a couple of weeks.**

**Just to clarify it is early October in Forks, so we have holidays approaching.**

**Please let me know what you think, I can take it, I promise **

**I'm taking the kids to Universal next week, but will still try to have another update by next Friday. Until then have a great week.**


	19. Chapter 19

_**AN: Sorry for the delay. I was on vacation last week and was rarely able to get to a computer. I was surprised this morning by a tweet that contained a GORGEOUS banner by Ysar. http: / bit . ly /gtcxhB (Just remove the spaces) I'll post the link on my profile as well.**_

_**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns it all, I own nothing, so sad. No copyright infringement intended.**_

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 18

**BPOV**

As Edward filled me in on the phone conversation he had with Crazy Cousin, the only thing going through my mind was that she and Jacob could apparently fight over the title of the most deluded person in the world.

"She seriously thinks you have finally given in and you are coming to be with her? She's going to flip out when I walk in holding onto you." I could just picture her face. "After all she's done to you over the years, the unwanted come-ons the two-faced approach she took with Tanya… the worst thing she's done has been to twist Irina's feelings. She made your little girl doubt you and your feelings."

Edward just looked at me. "She's not going to be an issue for us any longer after Saturday. Then we will only have to deal with Jacob."

He sat back in the seat and I could see that he was having trouble saying something.

"What is it, Edward? Say what you need to say."

"Are you really going to let him spend time with Riley?" He looked so hurt that I would even consider the possibility.

To be honest if I was ignorant of Jacob's involvement in keeping me from Edward, I probably would have let him visit Riley, but it was no longer just my call, and after what Jake did I won't let him near Riley.

Edward was looking down at our hands, not looking at me. I lifted my hand to his face and tried to get him to meet my eyes.

"Edward, please look at me. I want you to understand that I mean what I am about to say."

The hurt that was visible on his face made me flinch.

"After everything Jake did, do you honestly think I would let him near our child or that I would do that without talking to you about it? Riley is ours, I would never make a decision like that without you. Our family is too important to mess it up by allowing Jake anywhere near us."

He relaxed and the relief in his eyes was palpable. "I don't want him near Riley, Bella. There is just no telling what he could do. And I really don't want him near you. He's coming here in a couple of weeks so make arrangements for him to meet you at the diner, or at Charlie's and I'll be with you and we will deal with him then."

Oh this dear sweet man. "I think I should talk to him alone first. Maybe if we do this at the diner you could show up 10 to 15 minutes later that way you are there with me, but I have time to work on Jake, see if he admits to any of it."

He was shaking his head as I was saying it, "No, I don't want you alone with him. He's lost you and wants you back. I know I would do anything to get you back, so there is no telling what he will do."

"Edward, we would be in the middle of the diner. There will be people there and you will be close. If it would make you feel better, maybe Em could be in there somewhere close by. We have time to figure it out later. Now you need to tell me how I'm supposed to be moved in this weekend if we are taking off for Seattle on Saturday."

The change in topic seemed to bring his smile back. "Don't worry, love. The furniture will be delivered tomorrow, everything will be set up and then we'll unpack your bags on Sunday. Mom and Dad are going to watch Riley, and Kate and Irina are looking forward to visiting their grandparents. We'll leave early Saturday drive to my parents, have time for a visit and then go annihilate her."

"You are looking forward to this, aren't you?" I suddenly felt lighter about the weekend, now if we could just get through the night with Alice, I'd truly feel free.

"Don't start worrying about tonight Bella. I know Alice was rough on you at the hospital that day, but I'm sure she finally got the message about butting into our lives."

Alice and I had always been friendly, even after I went away to college we would email occasionally, but it was right after Edward and I had reconnected, when Mom was dying, that things between Alice and I took a bad turn.

O~O~_Flashback_~O~O

"_Bella, take a break, get some lunch. I'll be here with your mom." My dad was being so strong, he rarely left the room and I knew he wasn't eating enough._

"_Okay, Daddy, I'll run down to the cafeteria and bring lunch up for the both of us. I have my phone if you need anything while I'm gone." I'd make sure to bring him up enough food to last through the day._

_I took the elevator down to the main lobby and walked to a bench just outside. I needed to hear his voice, it was the only thing that seemed to calm me down after being with Mom, just waiting._

"_Bella…" It was amazing the calmness that settled into me, just hearing Edward's voice._

"_How is Renee?" _

"_They are keeping her sedated. The nurse told me they really want to set up the drip." From everything that I had learned during this process, once they set up the morphine drip it was really just a matter of time, at most a week. _

"_I'm so sorry love. Do you want me to fly up? I can be there by tonight." Edward was back in Los Angeles, attending a few meetings. "No, you are flying back tomorrow night anyway, right? Just come then, I'll be okay here."_

_After Edward had chased after me the day he came to visit my mother, we talked, really talked. I knew the day he told me to leave it was more about his girls than anything else; he apologized and told me everything. I told Edward about the state of my marriage, that I had never loved anyone but him, not even Jake. _

_Dad was sleeping in the hospital with my mother at night, so I was sleeping in a hotel after spending the days with Mom. She deteriorated so quickly. I would leave her room and burst into sobs as I rode the elevator down. Edward would meet me at my car each evening and we'd go to dinner, movies, dancing, anything that would take my mind away from what was happening. We'd end the evenings back in my room. Edward stayed with me for 3 weeks. He drove back to Forks a few times to check on the girls and Esme, who was staying with them. She knew we were together, but she was keeping it quiet until I could tell my father about the divorce._

_Edward had left for his business meetings in Los Angeles, telling me it would only be a few days and I was to call him anytime._

"_I love you, Edward. Come home safe."_

"_I love you too, Bella. I'm coming straight to you tomorrow night, so wait up for me."_

_We ended the call and I walked back into the hospital heading towards the cafeteria._

"_Bella? Bella, wait up." My head whipped around to see the dark haired pixie running towards me. _

"_Alice! What are you doing here?" I hugged her, it had been too long since we had seen each other and she had not changed at all._

"_Mom told me you'd be here, I was in town to pick up some things for the store and I wanted to come see you and your parents. I'm so sorry about Renee. How are you and your father holding up?" We continued into the cafeteria while I told her about how Dad wouldn't leave her side except to shower or use the restroom._

"_Edward has really helped to keep me sane the last few weeks." Alice's eyes opened wide and her eyebrows shot up. _

"_What? I thought Edward was in LA for the month. That's why Mom said she was staying with the girls. Tell me you two aren't having an affair? What about Jake? You are a married woman, Bella." She didn't give me any time to say anything. Alice pulled me over to a table before starting again. "Bella, I love you, I really do, but you and Edward are not going to work out. He's married to his music now, he's with the girls all the time. You have Jake, why ruin your marriage for something that won't work."_

_I couldn't believe the nerve she had to say such horrible things. She didn't know anything about my marriage, and she obviously didn't know her brother._

_I got the food I bought and stood to leave, glaring at Alice. "You really have no idea about my life, so don't assume. For your information I love your brother and he loves me. Jake and I separated before Edward and I ever even connected again. I'm starting divorce proceedings as soon as I get back to California and will be moving back to Forks to be near my father. Do not assume that just because you say one thing it's true. If you have a problem with me, perhaps you should speak to your brother. Don't bother coming up to see my parents. Goodbye, Alice." I left her standing in the cafeteria as I walked towards the elevator._

_The next evening I felt Edward climb into bed beside me. "I'm sorry you had to deal with Alice on your own, Bella. She was way out of line, and I wish she'd kept her mouth shut."_

_I let him take my mind off of Alice and my mother's health. _

_O~O~End of Flashback~O~O_

Edward stood up and pulled me into his arms. "She's not going to say anything to you anymore. I need to call Emmett though, because if Alice realizes that she is the last to know about Riley, neither of us will hear the end of it. Let's go check on the kids, Shelly should be here soon."

We walked into the house and the sight that greeted us had all of my lingering reservations about Irina melting away. Kate was playing her keyboard and singing softly while Irina was holding Riley and swaying around the room with him. He had a thumb in his mouth, his head was on her shoulder with his other hand wrapped in Irina's hair.

Edward took out his phone to capture the image.

I moved into the room as quietly as possible. "Hey guys," I whispered. Riley's head popped up. "Hey there, Big Guy, are you having fun with your sisters?"

"Mammamama, Dadadadada." He reached out for us, so I swept him into my arms.

"Thanks for watching him. Rini, you're a natural with him. Can you two help me get dinner started for you while your dad gets ready to go out?"

Kate, Irina and I went into the kitchen only to find Mrs. Cope already working on dinner. I pulled out what Riley would eat and set it on the table near his highchair.

"I've got his pj's set out on the changing table and there are enough wipes and diapers to last a month. Just clean his face after he eats and he'll be ready to go down by 7:30."

"Don't worry Bella, I've got a great deal of experience with little ones. Besides I don't think I'm going to have to do anything. Kate and Rini are completely focused on Riley."

She was right. Kate was opening his food while Irina was settling Riley into his chair and putting his bib on.

"Irina, do you know how to prepare his bottle?" She shook her head so I took her into the kitchen and showed her how to measure the powdered formula and scoop it into a bottle with the distilled water already in it. "Just shake until it's all mixed. He'll take a full bottle about 30 minutes before he goes down for the night."

"He'll be ok, Bella. We won't let anything happen to him, and when you get home he'll be fast asleep."

Just that slip referring to her house as my home made my heart flutter. I left Riley to the girls and went up the guest room to change into jeans and a soft blue sweater before heading back down. Edward was waiting for me when I reached the bottom of the stairs.

"It's time to meet them. I spoke to Em and he's going to 'try' to keep it quiet." He was smiling, so I figured that Em would be in rare form tonight.

We said goodnight to Kate and Irina and I gave Riley a kiss on his head. "Be good for Mrs. Cope. Love you."

We walked out to the car and Edward opened my door, he leaned into me, pressing me. "You look lovely tonight." I blushed, "Edward it's just jeans and a sweater." He kissed my forehead, nose, chin and lips. "You could wear a potato sack and look lovely. Come on love, let's go tell my sister all about out amazing son."

Edward drove as he normally did, just this side of 'Bat out of Hell' fast. We arrived at Blue Moon before the others. Edward turned the car off and turned to me.

"Ready?" I nodded and he got out and walked around to my door. We walked arm in arm to the door. Edward held it open of course, for me to enter. Blue Moon was set up like a typical bar, there was a spattering of tables in one corner, several pool tables set up in the back and a long bar against the wall as we walked in. Edward spoke with the bartender and then lead me to a table in the very back. We had just sat down and ordered drinks when a booming voice was heard entering the bar.

"ED!" I could just make out Rose popping Emmett on his head as they walked over toward us. I stood up to give Rose a hug and help her settle in her seat, when Emmett took the opportunity to grab me into a bear hug.

"Em…can't…breathe…" He quickly released me into Edward's arms. "Sorry about that shortcake."

"Hey, I'm not short." I stuck my tongue out at him as he and Edward chuckled.

"It's great to see you both looking so happy." Rose said as she got comfortable. Emmett got another chair for Rosalie to put her feet onto.

"You have him trained so well Rose. What are you going to do once the baby is born?"

It was interesting to watch big, intense looking Emmett act like a teddy bear with his wife.

"So…" Em looked around before finishing his sentence, "how's little man? Does he have Daddy wrapped around his fingers yet?"

"Most definitely, Edward is great with him. You'll see it tomorrow when the delivery trucks come." Edward wrapped an arm around my shoulders as we all just sat and got reacquainted.

"It's really great that you're back, Bella. You make Eddie here a completely different person."

Edward squeezed me close as he agreed with Emmett. "She brings out the best in me, its true."

Just then Jasper and Alice joined our table.

"Bella, aren't you pretty as a picture. It's been much to long, Darlin'. How are you?" Jasper was always the epitome of a southern gentleman.

"I'm great Jasper, happy to be home. How's the teaching gig?" Jasper was a history professor at Peninsula College in Port Angeles.

"Its great. There's nothing quite like assigning papers to ruin the students' weekends."

Edward stood up to give Alice a hug, "Sit and join us you two."

Alice looked like she was unsure of how to approach me.

"Thanks for coming tonight, Alice."

Rose got up, well tried to get up. Emmett pulled her to her feet. "Ali, come with me to the bathroom."

As they walked away, I leaned into Edward. "Let's just tell them when the girls are back. Dancing around this news for the next 10 minutes is just going to get painful."

Edward kissed my temple. "Sure love, we'll just tell them. Jasper, when Alice sits down again hold onto her for me."

Jasper gave Edward a strange look, but nodded his agreement.

As soon as Rose was settled and Alice was seated beside Jasper, Edward spoke.

"I'm glad you all agreed to meet Bella and I tonight. We have some exciting news to share and wanted you to be together when you heard it."

"You're getting MARRIED?" Alice tried to stand up but Jasper held her still, unfortunately he didn't clamp a hand over her mouth.

"Alice!" Edward hissed, "No, we aren't getting married, at least not yet." He looked quickly at me before continuing. "If you can keep quiet I'll tell you. As you know Bella came home last week and told her father that she and Jake filed for divorce. She filled Charlie in on everything that had transpired with Jacob and the reason she took this step. I ran into Bella after she had leased the cottage from Em and Rose. We talked, a lot, and over the course of an afternoon we learned that there were circumstances out of our control that worked to separate us after her mother passed." Edward looked at me, smiled and turned back to his sister, brother in law and cousins.

"Circumstances like Bella having a baby with her husband?" Alice should know better, she was just asking for Edward to lose his temper.

"I asked you to be civil, Alice. Is this what you'd call civil? Bella and I love each other, is that a crime? If not for her ex husband and Tanya's lunatic cousin using my baby girl, Bella and I would be happily married now raising our family together. Instead, I found out the most amazing and heart wrenching news a few days ago. I have the most adorable not quite 11 month old son that Jake and Chelsea did everything in their power to keep from me." I ran a hand over his back, trying to soothe him. "Edward, please, look at me."

He turned towards me, his eyes softening, "It's OK, we're here now, we'll deal with Chelsea and Jake, let's just finish telling Alice and the others about Riley." He took a deep breath and drew me into his embrace.

"Ed, you're a Daddy again! Rose and I are so happy for you." Em walked around the table and pulled us both into a bear hug.

"Alice, he's really a very adorable little boy." Rose started, but quickly stopped.

"_You've _already seen him, Rose?" Alice asked her.

"Riley was with me when we looked at houses. I didn't say anything to her about his father. Edward was the first to know, after Charlie."

"How could you keep him from Edward, Bella?" Edward glared at Alice and Jasper told her to stop. "Let them explain Ali, there's no need to keep assuming the worst."

Over the next twenty minutes Edward and I explained the whole convoluted history to them, the lies that were told to us, the blocked calls, the harm that Chelsea inflicted on Irina with her lies.

Everything.

"Oh. My. God. Jas, I need a gun. Can one of your 'kids' get me an unregistered pistol? I'm going to kill the bitch. She has messed with my family for the last time."

Edward and I were laughing. It was the only way to deal with her reaction.

"Alice, breathe. Edward and I are confronting her Saturday and then she'll be gone from our lives for good. Jake is flying in for Halloween so we'll deal with him then."

"Okay, then I only have one more question. When can I meet my nephew?"

Edward pulled out his phone to show the many pictures he had taken of Riley with either me, Kate, Irina, Esme, or ones of him walking around. "He's perfect, Ali. I don't think I've ever been as happy as I am right now. Bella is here, we have an amazing baby, Irina is willing to work on her anger issues and we are meeting with Maggie next week for a counseling session before her individual sessions start again. My life is finally on track with where it should have been years ago." My heart swelled with love for Edward.

Alice looked at me then her brother several times. "I'm sorry for the way I have behaved tonight. I just never wanted to see you hurt again, Edward. I wanted to protect you, but I think you only needed protection from me. I love you big brother and I am just so happy for you, and for Bella. I hope you both get exactly what you want out of life."

Later as we were getting ready to leave, Emmett's head popped up from where he was helping Rose. "Ed, we need to have a party, invite the family, friends and co-workers. We have a lot to celebrate. We could have a BBQ in the yard between my house and Bella's."

Edward looked to me, "Would you be up to that, Bella? It'd be like a Welcome Home/Welcome to the Family/ Housewarming party celebrating you and Riley."

"On one condition, let Alice plan it." Alice beamed. "Keep it low key Alice, but plan away." I wanted us to redevelop our friendship and I would be the bigger person and put it behind me.

"It'll be perfect. We could have it next weekend and by then most of the town will know, and Bella and I can make a formal announcement about Riley to cut some of the rumors out."

We left after I made plans with Alice and Rose to discuss the party later in the week.

Edward drove us back to his house and the feeling in the car was much more positive than it had been on the drive to Blue Moon.

He held my hand after helping me from the car. "I can't believe how well tonight went. You were fantastic." I could feel the charge that always happened when we were close. "Bella, will you stay with me tonight?"

Oh how I wanted to. "I don't think it's a good idea, Edward. I won't be able to control myself around you."

He flashed a cocky smile. "I'll be good enough for both of us." He pressed me back against the car, his smirk turning to a pleading smile. "Please, I just want to hold you."

"I'm not ready for this night to end either, Edward. Is it terrible that I am not as excited to be moving tomorrow as I was?"

Edward drew back from me, looking down into my eyes. "Well you know you could just move in here. It's not too late to cancel the deliveries."

I really wanted him to understand what I was about to say without Edward being hurt.

"Edward, there is nothing more that I want than to live with you, but we aren't ready. I've been home just over a week. You are it for me. It's what I want, but for the sake of our family, we need to take our time. What I will be doing tomorrow is asking Rose to amend the lease, change it from a year's lease to a 6 month lease. Let's take our time and if we want to move ahead prior to the six months, I'm sure Rose and Em will let me break the lease."

Edward crushed me to him. "You know you're it for me as well. We'll do whatever you want, just know that when you are ready, I will be too."

We walked into the house, Edward went to say goodnight to Shelly as I went up to check in on the girls and Riley.

Kate was listening to her iPod when I knocked on her door. "Hey. How did everything go?"

I sat on the edge of her bed, "Alice was Alice, but everything is fine. We're having a party next weekend, so invite a few friends."

Kate sat up, "Bella? The Homecoming game and dance are next Friday night. Irina and I are going and wondered if you would take us dress shopping?"

My heart swelled. "I'd love to. You know we are going to Seattle on Saturday, how about after your dad and I meet up with Chelsea, I take you girls to a couple of shops to see what they have."

Kate gave me a hug. "Thanks, Bella. It'll be fun and save us from shopping with Dad or Aunt Ali."

"Hey, I'm not so bad to shop with." I looked over my shoulder at Edward standing in the doorway.

"I told her we'd go shopping Saturday afternoon in Seattle." He just nodded and walked over to kiss Kate goodnight. "Love you, Katie Bug."

"Love you too, Daddy."

Together we walked over to Irina's room and after seeing that she was sleeping soundly, Edward turned off her television, moved the book she had on her lap and pulled her comforter up over her. I gently crossed Riley's room and looked down on my sleeping baby.

His arms were thrown up over his head, legs spread wide, and his head cocked back at an angle. "He sleeps in such strange positions." Edward traced a finger down Riley's cheek. I grabbed his hand to stop him.

"Don't wake him up or he'll never go back to sleep."

Edward just looked at him. "I could stay here all night watching over him."

I took his hand and pulled him from the room. Edward walked to the stairs leading up to my room. "I thought you wanted me to stay with you?" His eyes flashed, "Really? You'll stay with me tonight?"

Still holding his hand I walked down the staircase. "No funny business, Mister, just sleep."

Edward chuckled, "I promise there won't be anything funny about tonight." He tilted my chin up and kissed me.

When I regained my breath I nodded, "Yeah, nothing funny about that."

**OoOoO**

_**Again, sorry for the delay in posting. Last week was Spring Break and I took my kids to Universal Studios Islands of Adventure and we did the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I whole heartedly recommend visiting, it was fabulous right up until a mob of teenagers broke line right in front of me and one of them broke my toe.**_

_**Anyway, the next update will be by Friday- and we are finally dealing with Chelsea.**_

_**Let me hear from you. Please leave a review.**_


	20. Chapter 20 Confrontations

_**AN: There is a lot going on in this chapter. A little citrus surprise that just wouldn't wait plus a little family time, some of the Forks residents' reactions, and let's not forget time to rid ourselves of Chelsea.**_

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 19 Confrontations

**BPOV**

I woke the next morning and attempted a full body stretch, only to be pulled closer to Edward's warm body. The feel of him against my skin was like a soothing balm. It had been too long since we were together this way. Our bodies fit together like two halves of a whole.

"Morning, love. Did you sleep well?" I didn't think there was anything sexier than Edward's sleep roughened voice.

"Hmmm…well the three hours I was able to get were fantastic, not that I'm complaining."

I turned in Edward's arms, running my hand down his side and settling over his bare hip.

He chuckled, "Yeah I think we officially shot the 'taking it slow' approach to Hell."

Edward pulled me closer and rolled us so that I was lying on his chest. He wore a cocky smile this morning and I wiped it from his face as I leaned forward to kiss him. He hissed as his erection was caught between us.

"Edward…we don't have much time this morning. Kate and Irina will be up for school soon and Riley will want to get up. We need to be dressed or at least out of this room before one of them walks in."

He groaned as I moved over him. "Bella, love, please…"

I pushed myself up so that I was sitting on his thighs. I tried to keep my eyes on his, but couldn't resist looking at his body. His chest muscles were nicely defined, and the spattering of chest hair was just enough to tug playfully on to get his attention. His abdominals tensed as I trailed a finger down his chest past his belly button to lightly trace the seeping tip of his cock.

"It's terrible having to be a grownup, I know baby. I would like nothing more than to lock us away for a week, but with two teenagers and a baby, we can forget about it. I promise we will pick this up later though." I wrapped my hand around him stroking him from base to tip before getting up.

"Bellaaa, don't tease, love. It's been too long." I bent over him, kissing his sweet mouth.

"Check on Ry while I'm in the shower?"

Edward swatted my butt as I turned towards the bathroom. "We will revisit this later."

As I stood under the warm spray of the shower, I took stock of my body. Everything felt loose, like my joints and muscles had turned to goo. The only area I felt any discomfort at all was between my legs. I guess that was to be expected, besides giving birth, the last action there was with Edward before I flew back to California. Thoughts of last night ran through my head.

O~O~O~O

_As we walked towards his room after checking the children, Edward stopped me._

"_Are you sure, love? I promise to be good; I don't want to push you… I just want to hold you in my arms and in my bed."_

_I cupped his cheeks in my hands, pulling him to me. "I want to be in your arms tonight. It's where I've wanted to be since Mom died."_

_He led us into his room and handed me one of his t-shirts to wear. I changed quickly in his bathroom and after borrowing his toothbrush I walked back into the bedroom. The sight that greeted me, stole my breath. Edward was lying on his bed, propped up on pillows against the headboard, with the blankets folded down by his feet and wearing only his black boxer briefs. 'He's trying to drive me crazy,' I thought to myself. I couldn't stop the sound escaping from my mouth as I looked at him. _

_Edward looked up and opened his arms waiting for me. _

"_I've missed this." I said as I snuggled into his side._

"_I've missed you, Bella." Edward wrapped me in his arms and we lay together just breathing in the other's scent. _

_Just the feel of Edward lying against me all warm and hard, was too tempting. I ran my hand down his smooth back, over his muscles and down his spine. I didn't hesitate as I reached his waistband, my hand moved to grab his glorious ass._

_A memory of Angela teasing me about staring at Edward's ass while we were working, struck me._

"_Bella, honey, why are you shaking?" He pulled back far enough to see my face. _

"_What has you trying so hard not to laugh? Is my butt that funny?"_

_Only then was I aware that I was still kneading the muscles of the glorious ass._

"_N- nothing, it was just an old memory of when Angela and I worked in the store. I would have loved to have been free to grab your behind whenever I wanted and Ang used to tease me about it." _

_His killer smirk lit up his face, "Grab away anytime you want. This ass is all yours."_

_He nudged my chin with his nose, tilting my face up for his kiss. He started slow and easy, just an affectionate kiss, but I am the one that lost control. My tongue demanded entrance and no sooner had he parted his lips than our tongues were battling for dominance. I pulled on his hips wanting him closer, and Edward rolled us so he was hovering over me. He ran a hand beneath the shirt I was wearing and trailed it up my stomach, stopping just below my breasts. He looked into my eyes, searching for permission. I could feel how much he wanted me, and I was burning for him. My hips moved against him seeking the much needed friction from his body._

"_Please Edward, please touch me." His eyes darkened with his rising passion and he didn't hesitate to cup my breast. His callused musician's fingers played my breasts as he would his instruments. Edward rolled my nipples and gently tugged as he moved the shirt up my body._

_The memories of our previous times together paled in the reality of his hands on me. I was lost in the heat of his touch, the warmth of his mouth on mine. We moved together, driving each other higher and higher. Edward lowered his full weight onto me pressing his cloth covered cock right where I needed it most. There were no thoughts of stopping in my head, but as he promised, Edward regained his control. Breathing heavily and with difficulty he lifted himself from me. _

"_Bella, if you want us to wait we need to stop. Now!"_

_For the life of me I couldn't remember why I wanted to wait. Edward was all I had ever wanted. I loved him, he loved me._

_I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled him back to me. "No, no stopping. I need you Edward, I need you in me now."_

_He stared at me trying to decide and then I felt his full weight on me once more. He trailed kisses down my neck and across my collar bone as his hands lifted the shirt further up my body only removing his mouth from my skin long enough to pull the shirt over my head._

"_Oh Bella, you are perfect. I've missed you so much." His hands glided down my sides as he trailed his lips over my chest taking first one then the other taunt peak into his mouth. My body arched against him seeking relief. I had not felt sexy in so long, especially my breasts. Edward had always paid special attention to them, but nursing Riley for over seven months made me feel like they would never be sexy again. _

_I hadn't realized it would only take Edward to make the feeling of being worthy come back. Just a look from him and I felt sexy, having his mouth on me was bliss. I writhed against his hard form, "Please baby," He nipped at each breast once more before moving further down my body, placing open mouthed kisses and nips all along my body to my panties._

"_Bella, love, I need to taste you. I feel your heat, how wet you are for me, baby, but it's been too long since I had a taste of you." _

_My legs fell further apart as he removed my underwear. I knew my body no longer looked the way it had the last time he'd seen me, but he gave me no time to be self-conscious about the changes. Edward placed kisses on each of the remaining stretch marks left from my pregnancy before spreading my legs wider to give him better access._

"_You're so beautiful Bella and I've missed this." He placed a gentle kiss on my pubic bone, as I moved against him I felt his tongue dip between my folds and move up to circle my clit. I was falling apart quickly. "More, Edward…ummm, so good." He lapped at me, working me into a frenzy as he hooked my legs over his shoulders, giving him more control of my movements. He pressed his tongue into me, rubbing his nose around my over sensitive clit again and again. When he looked up at me, I could just see his eyes, glowing with desire, he worked his mouth over me, but I shattered completely when hit gently bit down. He lapped at me until I was so sensitive I could no longer stand it. I pulled him towards me and he moved up my body taking my mouth in a searing kiss. I had never realized how erotic it would be to taste myself on Edward's sweet mouth. I needed him inside me and couldn't wait any longer. _

"_Now Edward…" I was pushing at his boxers trying to free him. There was a growing wet spot on his briefs and I wanted what was beneath it desperately. He stood up and rid himself of the last barrier between us. His cock sprang free standing tall and proud from his beautiful body._

_I reached for him as he moved back onto the bed, whimpering to him, "I need you now, Edward. I can't wait anymore." He reached into his nightstand drawer, pulling out an unopened box of condoms. He flushed when he caught me looking._

"_I knew we would get to this point eventually love, and I wanted to be prepared."_

_As much as I wanted nothing between us, I was grateful he thought ahead. I would need to make an appointment soon to get back on birth control. _

_I watched as he deftly opened the wrapper and sheathed himself in the latex. His gorgeous emerald eyes searched mine as he settled back against me._

"_I love you, Bella." I felt like I would explode with the need I felt for him. His words just filled me with more warmth and love for him._

"_I love you, too." Edward's fingers grazed my core as he lined himself up and with a deep thrust he filled me._

"_Gahhh, Edward…so good." He dropped his head to my shoulder holding himself still, giving me time to adjust to him and I realized I felt complete for the first time since we parted._

_My hands drove into his hair, holding him to me as my eyes filled with tears. Edward pulled back, brushing the wetness from my eyes. "Are you alright, my love? I didn't hurt you did I?" He tried to withdraw from me, but I held him firm with my legs around his waist._

"_Don't go...I'm fine, just so happy." He kissed me gently as he started to move within me. The fullness I've only had with him brought such pleasure. "So good, love, so good."_

_Edward pulled me up, forcing my head to the side as he licked up my neck, kissing me behind my ear. His movements increased becoming more erratic, and I knew he was close. It had been too long since we were together for us to last very long. He drove me up and up until I could not go any higher. I felt Edward nip at the junction of my neck and shoulder and a jolt raced through me, when he bit down hard I screamed his name as I shattered completely, convulsing around him with the most powerful orgasm I've ever had. Edward continued his powerful thrusts until he erupted calling my name. _

_What felt like hours later, Edward moved off of me, removing the condom and throwing it in the trashcan by the bed. He turned back to me and pulled me into his arms. "God I love you, I can't say it enough. I love you Bella, I always have and always will."_

_I pushed myself up onto his chest and looked down at the man I have loved for most of the last decade. His skin was glistening in the moonlight from the window; our bodies were covered in sweat and the essence of us. "I love you to, Edward. I'm so glad to be home."_

_I snuggled back into his arms and drifted off._

O~O~O~O

We came together 4 more times before exhaustion finally caused us to sleep.

I had just finished washing my body and was wetting my hair when Edward joined me in the shower.

"He's still out. I think Kate, Irina and Shelly wore him out last night." Edward took the shampoo bottle from me and told me to turn around. He worked the shampoo through my hair, massaging my scalp.

"Feels good, you may end up putting me back to sleep with that." Edward smacked my ass, "No falling asleep, Bella- I've got plans for us later." He rinsed my hair and as I put in the conditioner, Edward washed his hair and my body. It was going to be hell trying to keep away from him today. I tried to return the favor by washing him, but he only let me wash his chest and back, stopping my hands from going lower than his waist.

"You're the one that reminded me the kids would be up soon. Let's get to the cottage and do what needs to be done. We'll have time for us tonight after they are asleep."

It's so hard to be a responsible parent sometimes. I rinsed quickly then left Edward to finish his shower. I dried my body before wrapping my hair in the towel and walking naked into the bedroom. I was just putting his robe on when Edward walked into the room. "I brought your bag down this morning. It's on the chair." I walked over and pulled out the jeans and t-shirt I planned to wear, but found my eyes wandering back to his body. I couldn't look away as he pulled out briefs and dropped his towel.

"Mmmm…"

He looked back at me and smirked. "See something you like love?"

Evil man…just evil. "Nope, but I see a lot that I love." I got dressed and pulled my hair up into a ponytail.

"I'm going to check on Ry, he should be up by now." I was hoping that Kate and Irina wouldn't see me leaving Edward's room, but as I turned towards the stairs I heard, "Morning Bella." I could feel my face heat with the dreaded blush. Kate and Irina were coming down the stairs. Riley was in Kate's arms.

"Mammaaa!" His whole face lit up when he saw me.

"Morning." I decided to go with my new strategy; I'd play ostrich until they said anything.

"He woke up about 15 minutes ago and when we didn't find you in your room we changed him and got him ready for you." Kate had an impish grin on her face and Irina looked like she was trying not to laugh.

"Yeah I was in the shower. I guess he woke up after your dad checked on him. Thanks for the help." We made our way into the kitchen so I could get breakfast for everyone.

Kate sat Riley in his highchair and I gave him a handful of cheerios with a bottle of formula.

"What would you two like for breakfast?"

I felt Edward's arms wrap around me as he said, "How about we all go out for breakfast this morning?" He pulled me back against his chest as he looked at his daughters. Kate and Irina rushed to get ready and I leaned back into Edward as we watched Riley eat his cereal.

"We've got a couple of hours before we have to be at the cottage, and about an hour before the girls need to be in school, lets have a family breakfast at the diner."

I turned in his arms and wrapped mine around his waist, pushing myself up on my tiptoes to kiss his lips. "I love you."

By the time Riley finished his cheerios, Kate and Irina were back downstairs with their backpacks and I had his diaper bag ready for the day.

As we all got into Edward's Volvo, it became apparent that we really didn't fit comfortably in his car. "Yeah, I think I'm going to have to get a bigger car." Riley's seat was behind Edward and Kate was behind me with Irina in the middle pressed between the bulky car seat and her sister.

"You're going to have to get a family car that has room for more than 4 people, Edward."

"We can manage for another few months Daddy, by then I'll be 16 and I can drive Rini around in _my_ car," Kate offered. Edward visibly paled.

"Katie, you're giving your father grey hair. Next time we'll just take my Navigator."

Edward drove into the parking lot at the diner. It was surprisingly crowded for an early Friday morning. An older woman greeted us and ushered us towards a larger booth in the back of the diner. Kate and Irina asked if they could sit beside Riley, so after Edward brought over a highchair we each moved to the inside seats as Kate sat beside Edward. Irina smiled as she sat down next to me.

I was amazed by the quick change I was seeing in Irina. There had been no hostility towards me since everything had come out, and she adored Riley. We were all supposed to meet with Maggie in a few days to just talk over everything. I knew we were experiencing a kind of 'honeymoon' phase and that we would have some setbacks, but I was so encouraged by the last few days.

We had just ordered when a cute boy about 14 or 15 walked over to our table. "Hey Rin, how've you been? Who's this little guy?" He crouched down and was playing with Riley.

Irina looked at me and then Edward before answering him. "Jared, this is my little brother, Riley." Jared's eyes bugged out a little. "Brother? When did that happen?"

"Let me introduce you, okay? I swear you were born without manners." Jared looked up and I guess he just realized we were all looking at him. "Sorry."

"Bella, this is my best friend Jared. He's the one I'm going to Homecoming with. Jare , this is Bella Swan, she's Dad's girlfriend and Riley's mom."

"Oh, so he's not really your brother, just your Dad's girlfriend's son?"

Edward decided to interrupt. "No, Riley is my son, Rin and Kate's brother, and we've known about a week."

The entire diner had gotten quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

"Cool, he's cute. So, I need to run, school starts soon. See ya later, Rin?"

She smiled, "Sure Jarhead, see you in biology."

Jared left just as our breakfast arrived. "I think it's safe to say you're going to be a little late girls." Kate was happy about missing her morning Lit class, but Irina was quiet and looked sad.

"What's wrong?" I asked, leaning into her ear so no one else would hear. "I'm sure your dad won't mind getting our food to go so you won't miss any classes."

She shook her head, "No, it's not that. I just feel bad that I outed you and Dad."

This girl... she has it in her to be completely obnoxious at times, but she's so sweet and caring and she's worried about the reaction people will have to Edward and I.

Not even thinking about how she'd react I pulled Irina into my arms. "Rin, don't worry about me or your Dad. Everyone will know about your brother soon enough. I'm sure the gossips were already talking about us. I don't mind. I love Riley with all that I am, he's the light of my life and I want us all to be a family when we are ready for that."

She looked into my eyes, hers glistening with tears. "You're already a part of _our_ family, Bella. I'm just sorry that I was the reason it took so long."

Edward was staring at his daughter as she wrapped her arms around me.

"Girls, would either of you be too upset if I kept you home today?"

The twin grins that lit their faces at the prospect of skipping school were fantastic. "Really, we can stay home today?"

I had to laugh; skipping school was something neither Tanya nor Edward allowed. For Kate and Irina this was like an early Christmas gift. "I want to spend the day with my family. Is there something wrong with wanting to spend time with my love and my children?"

A very familiar and nasal voice drifted over to us. "You mean besides the fact that your 'love' is a married woman and one of your children is a bastard?"

Jessica Stanley Newton stood at the end of the table beside my happy baby, looking down at him with a sneer on her face.

"Rin, trade places with me. I need to get up." She pulled her legs up and moved behind me so that I could slide out of the booth. Edward was trying to get out himself, but I held up a hand telling him to wait.

Jessica just stood there looking at me. I grabbed her arm, "Come with me Jess. Do not even think of making a larger scene today." I pulled her behind me into the ladies room.

"Who the hell do you think you are, speaking to _my_ family like that? What gives you the right to speak such horrible things? You were once my friend, Jess. Why would you attack me or my family?"

"Ha, friends? Seriously Bella… we ceased being friends after you seduced Mike when I was visiting my grandparents." She was completely serious. I never realized she was so delusional.

"Jess, I have never been interested in Mike. He made my skin crawl, but that still doesn't give you the right to say things like that about my family. For your information, I will be divorced in less than 3 weeks. I've been in love with Edward for years and my son is not a bastard. Riley is a sweet, beautiful child who is finally getting to be with his father and sisters. Run back to your precious Mike and remind him that his copy is due Tuesday and I will not tolerate late submissions. You also better keep him on a leash, Jessica. I'm not interested in Mike, but from what I've heard he's been asking lots of questions about me. Tell him I'm already spoken for."

I left her opening and closing her mouth like a fish, washed my hands and left the restroom. I could see conversations stopping and starting as I made my way back to the table. Kate had switched sides and was currently hugging on her sister. Riley was ripping a pancake apart with his hands and shoving little pieces in his mouth. Edward looked concerned as I sat beside him.

"Is everything alright, love?" I just leaned into him, glancing over at the girls before kissing him quickly. "I'm fine, I just needed to speak to Jessica. Let's enjoy the rest of our breakfast and not discuss the pests in this town."

Kate and Irina were staring at us, Riley was laughing and Edward wrapped his arms around me. "They are okay with this Bella. Irina was talking to me while you dealt with the pest."

I looked over to Irina as she smiled and said, "I just want both of you to be happy, Bella. I want you with us and I promise that I will knock before coming into your room from now on." Kate laughed like a hyena as I turned red. The girls entertained Riley while I finished my breakfast. Brandi, the waitress from our last breakfast out, walked over. "Morning Cullens, did everyone enjoy their breakfast?" She was looking at me for once. "Everything was fine Brandi, thank you."

She brought our ticket over explaining that our server was taking a quick break. After Edward paid the bill and we had Riley cleaned up, Irina asked if she could carry him out to the car. Kate led the way, stopping to say hello as they were greeted by various people. Edward and I were stared at, but a few people said hello. As we reached the door, my father walked in. He said hello to the girls and kissed Riley's head before hugging me and shaking Edward's hand. "Fine looking family you have, Edward."

Edward pulled me close wrapping his arms around me. "Yes Chief, they are. We were just heading over to the cottage to meet the delivery trucks, so we need to head out." He handed the keys to Kate so they could put Riley in his seat.

"Dad, will you come by the house later tonight? I'll cook dinner for all of us and we can have some family time." He looked at me, "Sure, Bells, I'd love to. Now, do you mean to Edward's house or yours?"

"Um, Edward's I won't be ready for guests until later next week." I gave him one more hug then Edward and I walked over to the car. Riley was in his car seat and already falling asleep.

"It doesn't take much to knock him out. Give him a full belly and the promise of a car ride and he'll be out for a couple of hours at least."

Edward drove us to my new house. I'd loved it from the minute Rose let me in the door, but returning to it now I knew living here would only be temporary. I carried Riley while Edward got the pack 'n play and the girls carried the diaper bags in. I had brought a second bag to leave at the house until we were completely moved in. "Edward, Riley's room is at the end of the hallway. Just set up the play pen and we'll let him sleep while the furniture arrives." Edward took Riley from me after he assembled the playpen. I took a blanket out from the bag and laid it out for him. We stood there staring at our sleeping angel until Kate called out that a truck was there.

My furniture had arrived. I walked the guys through the house telling them where I wanted everything placed and then went into the kitchen where Edward and the girls had pulled out a deck of cards. "Where did those come from?"

"I had them in my backpack. Study hall gets boring at times." Irina was dealing out the cards. "Want to play rummy?"

We played for the next hour as piece by piece my house filled up. Riley woke up as soon as the baby furniture arrived so I had Kate and Irina watch him in the living room while Edward and I got the crib put together. I was ready to call it a day and go back to the comfort of Edward's house for the night. "I hate moving. I am so over this and I still have shopping and unpacking to do on Sunday."

Edward pulled me into his body. "Don't worry, I'll help you get settled on Sunday and we'll all stay with you. How does that sound?" I think that was part of the reason my mood had turned so sour. I didn't like the thought of being away from Edward at night and the closer I got to being settled into the cottage, the closer we got to sleeping in separate beds.

O~O~O~O

Later that evening the Cullen house was full of laughter and love. Dad had come by around 4 o'clock and had been enjoying time with not only Riley but with Kate and Irina. They loved picking on Charlie about the women in town and he was kidding them about all the boys at the high school.

"Edward, you're going to have to watch out for these two. There are a few bad boys at the high school right now and your daughters are too pretty for their own good. I'd be happy to take you to the gun range to practice."

"Dad, stop it- Kate and Irina are good girls and Edward has raised them well. They are too smart to fall for slick lines and bad boy images." I sent the pair of them a sharp stare that just had them rolling with laughter.

"Oh well, at least Riley will grow up listening to me." Edward laughed then.

"Love, once the hormones hit him around 13, that's what he'll be listening to. Not to me and not to you."

I was not ready to think of my baby as a teenager.

"You get to be the one to give him the 'Talk' when he's older. I want no part of that."

"Oh no- you two are going to scar him for life. Dad, please don't try to give the talk…I had to bleach that conversation out of my head." Kate looked horrified by the prospect of a sex talk.

I looked at my father. He was sitting back on the sofa just taking in the interactions between me, Edward and the girls. Riley was passed out in his arms. It was after 8:30 and I needed to get him up to his bed.

"I'll take him up, Bella. Stay with Charlie for a little longer." Edward took Riley from Dad and Kate and Irina followed him up to the nursery.

"A lot has changed in the past week, Bells. Don't you think it's moving a little fast?" It was my biggest fear that we rush into something and it end terribly.

"I worry about it, but there is something about the relationship that Edward and I have, it's always been on fast forward. We've always had powerful feelings for each other. I just want us to reach a balance where we can grow as a couple, yet be responsible parents. Where we are right now is where we would have been if things had gone the way they should have. If Chelsea hadn't lied to Irina, if Jake hadn't lied to Edward, if I had just flown up here to tell Edward regardless of what I thought had happened… I could 'if' the last two years away. We are where we are and we love each other. Edward has wholeheartedly accepted Riley, the girls love him. Carlisle and Esme adore him. Edward and I could go on like this for years, but why do that to ourselves? I'm moving into the cottage and will keep that for six months. At that point we'll see what we should do, but we both know that we are it, we will be together the rest of our lives."

Charlie had fishing date with Billy in the morning, so after telling Edward and the girls goodbye, he headed home.

"Riley's down for the night, what would you like to do, my love?"

"Honestly, I want a bath and then want to sleep. I'm exhausted."

I felt bad that I was shutting his plans for the evening down, but after the day we had and the limited sleep the night before, I could barely keep my eyes open.

I told Kate and Irina goodnight then went into the bathroom where Edward had drawn a warm bath for me.

"Will you join me?" He nodded and stripped his jeans and shirt off as I removed my clothes and sank into the water.

"Heavenly."

"Not yet, love, but it will be." Edward sat behind me and pulled me so I could lean back against him. I sat enjoying the soothing water, Edward drawing circles on my legs with his fingers. I was drifting off until I felt his hands massaging my thighs and moving further up my legs.

"Edward?" His fingers were teasing my folds now.

"Just relax, love. Let me do this for you."

Jolts of desire went through me and straight to my core. The heat that his touch brought me was smoldering.

**EPOV**

I knew Bella was tired, but I wanted to touch her badly. I knew that after a release she'd be that much more relaxed so I gently traced a path to her sweet pussy.

Last night had been the most amazing night of my life. I had thought we would never get there. I hoped we would, but I honestly wasn't sure it would happen.

I told Bella to relax and enjoy my pleasuring of her. I trailed my fingers through her moist heat, and it had nothing to do with the water in the tub. She was always so responsive to me and I moved one hand up to cup her breast while my other hand cupped her sex.

"Let me Bella, let me love you." She spread her legs a little and I ran my fingers up her slit. I pressed her swollen clit with my thumb as I eased two fingers into her. She came up out of the water as an orgasm over took her.

I had always loved how she responded to my touch. I spent those weeks in Seattle with her learning every inch of her body. I knew just how to touch her to make her shake and the pressure needed to cause her to explode in my hand.

After bringing her one final orgasm, I stood, lifting her into my arms. Bella was drifting to sleep as I dried her with a bath sheet. My cock was aching, but I had no desire to give myself relief, instead I climbed into bed and pulled my sleeping love into my embrace. With a kiss to her neck I fell asleep quickly.

O~O~O~O

The next morning I awoke to an empty and cold bed, meaning Bella had been up for a while. I used the bathroom and then pulled on a pair of sleep pants.

"Bella?" I called out as I walked into the living room, no one was there. The kitchen was empty, but the coffee pot was on and full.

I went up to the nursery and found Bella with Riley in the rocking chair. "Hey, how long have you been up?" She looked over at me and I could see the strain in her face.

"Riley woke up about 5 this morning, and I couldn't get him back to sleep. Maybe he sensed my stress about today."

I didn't want Bella to worry. This afternoon was going to be pleasant. I knew the entire meeting with Chelsea wouldn't take more than 15 to 20 minutes at most.

"Bella, love, don't worry about today. Just think of this as a visit to Seattle with the kids. We'll see my parents, you get to take the girls shopping this afternoon for dresses, and in between those times we get to tell off a bitch. It'll be fun." A smile was making its way onto her face.

"I see that smile, come on, baby let it out." She laughed and handed Riley over to me.

"Here, you get him dressed while I get his bag together." I laid Riley on the changing table and removed his pajamas. No sooner had I removed his wet diaper and slipped a fresh one underneath him than my son finally got me. I didn't cover him quick enough and a stream of pee hit me right in the center of my chest.

"Christ, Riley, why?" He's giggling and kicking, I'm soaking wet, and Bella is laughing hysterically.

Bella handed me a towel to wipe myself dry and to mop up the urine lining the changing table. After cleaning that, I threw the old wet diaper as well as the new wet diaper in the diaper genie and had just gotten another diaper when he did it again. This time he peed straight up and it rained down on him, getting his chest and his mouth.

"Bella! Help!" I grabbed Riley, a diaper and another towel and ran down the stairs to take a shower. I figured Riley needed a bath now as well so we'd kill two birds with one stone.

Bella followed us down bringing a change of clothes for Riley as well as his baby wash.

"I'll take him once you're finished, babe." She was still laughing at me. "Bella, it's not that funny." Even to myself I sounded like a petulant child.

"Yeah, Edward it really is that funny. Riley finally realized you hadn't been baptized into the wonderful world of changing a boy's diaper. Number one rule- always make sure his 'winkie' is covered by either a wipe, a cloth or a diaper because they will get you when you least expect it."

"I never had this happen with the girls." I stepped beneath the shower spray and Riley was not a fan. "Nooooooooo. Daddaad noooo. Mammaa!" I washed him quickly and rinsed the soap from him.

"Ready Bella? He's clean." She opened the curtain and took him out to the bedroom. I quickly showered and shaved before walking out into my room. Bella had changed into a beautiful blue sweater and black slacks. She was curling her hair while Riley wandered around the room.

"He's going to be running before we know it." Riley was dressed in jeans and a plaid flannel over a Henley tee. "Your Grandma isn't going to let you go. She's going to hold you all day, so go easy on her."

I dressed quickly in khakis and a blue oxford, Bella put on a light dusting of powder and lip gloss and we were ready to go. Bella carried Riley as I put the pack n play, stroller and Riley's diaper bag into her truck.

"You know it makes more sense to drive in the Navigator, Edward. We'll all be more comfortable, Kate or Irina can sit in the back seat, and the other can sit in the middle with Riley. There is plenty of room for what we need to bring and room for all of the shopping bags the girls and I will be bringing back."

"I know, love. I don't mind taking your truck. You're still ok with me driving, right?"

She just laughed, "Yes dear, you can drive. I'll just end up falling asleep anyway."

She was out within 40 minutes of leaving Forks.

"How does she do that, Dad? I can't sleep in a car even if I wanted to." Irina was sitting beside Riley, keeping him entertained.

"Bella has always been able to fall asleep in a car. She says if she's not driving and the drive is longer than 30 minutes she's out. I don't think that she slept well last night. She'll be fine after we see Chelsea."

I hope so anyway. We made it through telling her father, my parents, my sister- and that was stressful for her. If we make it through Chelsea today, the only person left to deal with other than pests like Mrs. Newton, is Jake. I have a feeling that is not going to be easy. Bella had trusted him and he twisted the situation to his benefit. I don't care what Bella says, she's not going alone to meet Jake. I just have a bad feeling about it all. I'm going to talk to Charlie and get his take on everything, but it's my job to protect my family.

We arrived at my parents' house around 11:00. Mom was rushing to the car before I could even stop. "Bella love, we're here."

She stretched just like a cat and blinked her eyes at me. "mmm, hey…" I couldn't resist so I kissed her just as Mom opened the rear door. "I'm so glad you are all here! I love Grandma Time!"

These were the times where you could see where Alice got her hyper personality from.

Bella came awake with a jolt. "Ooh, we're here?" "I just told you that, baby. Still sleepy?" She shook her head and opened her door. Kate and Irina were already following Mom into the house. Bella and I got his gear and trailed behind them.

Dad had set up a safe play zone for Ry in the living room. They put a bumper on the coffee table, all of the knickknacks were moved up out of reach and they had toys laid out across the floor.

"Looks like Carlisle decided to share his blocks with Riley, baby." I loved that she was comfortable enough to tease my father, and every time she called me baby, my heart flipped.

We settled in for a visit, Bella becoming more nervous as time passed. It was after 1:00 when my phone received a text from Chelsea. "1:45 Space Needle, Sky City."

"Bella that was from Chelsea, we're meeting her at Sky City at 1:45. We should get ready."

I left Bella giving unnecessary instructions to my mom and went to freshen up. I hoped this would be over quickly.

Bella grabbed her purse and we said goodbye to the kids.

"It's going to be alright love." She just nodded.

"Edward, how are we going to confront her in a restaurant like Sky City? She's going to cause a scene."

I looked quickly over to her before looking back at the road. "I think the easiest thing is to text her and ask her to meet me outside on the observation deck, that way we don't have to get trapped at a table with Queen Crazy."

I was looking forward to this. I had an entrance all planned and as I explained it to Bella she started to giggle. "She's going to completely freak out, Edward, it's too bad I didn't bring my camera."

After finding a parking space down from the Space Needle, Bella and I entered and took the elevator up to the observation deck. I left Bella standing just inside as I walked out to join Chelsea.

"Eddie!" Her grating voice got me every time. "Hi Chelsea", she tried to hug me but I sidestepped her advance. "What have you been up to? Working in Los Angeles still?"

"Yeah, I have a trip that's planned for the week before Christmas, but I've been spending a lot of time at home with the kids, especially this last week. Kate and Irina are great; as a matter of fact Irina is acting like she did when she was younger, no sulking or brooding, no angry outbursts for almost a week now." Chelsea's eyes got big, "Really? What caused the change?"

I stepped back from her as I said, "I'm sure it has everything to do with the woman I am involved with. She's a great mom and the girls are enjoying spending time with her." Bella walked through the doors and over to my side, she wrapped an arm around my waist and I bent down to kiss her before looking back at Chelsea. Her jaw had dropped. With my arm around Bella's waist I turned her so that Chelsea could get a good look.

"You remember Bella Swan, don't you, Chels?" I kissed Bella's temple and sneered at Chelsea.

"She's the woman you helped remove from my life. You lied to my daughter, twisted her feelings for _me _and caused her to blame Bella for the death of Tanya. I always knew you were sick, but I never thought you would damage my children for your own gain."

Chelsea paled before composing herself. "Are you still chasing the babysitter, Edward? Isn't she getting too old for you now?"

"I see you're still the petty girl, striking out after being rejected. Why could you never accept that Edward didn't want you? You could have found someone that wanted you years ago, but you became so fixated on your cousin's husband that you missed out. You can't come between us anymore. You are nothing to us; you are nothing to our family."

"Kate and Irina are my family, you whore. I will always be in their lives."

I tried to hold her back, well maybe I didn't try that hard. The slap sounded very loud, drawing the attention of several patrons. "You are nothing to them. Kate and Irina know what you did and how you lied. Irina wants nothing to do with you, and Kate never has wanted a relationship with you. You will stay away from my children or I will end you." Whoa, Bella's starting to lose it. I grabbed her hand to check it over and she laughed at me. "I'm fine Edward. She's not worth breaking a hand over. Can we go see our son now?"

"S-son?" Chelsea was holding her cheek staring at Bella.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you Bella and I have a child that your own childishness kept me from seeing until a week ago. Don't ever contact my family again. I will not hesitate to take a restraining order out against you, and I have some pull with law enforcement." Bella grinned widely at me, "I can make your life extremely difficult if you mess with me or my family again."

I took Bella's hand and led her into the building, "Bye, Chels…have a nice life." Bella laughed all the way to the elevators. Once inside we were alone, so I pulled her to me, kissing her until we were both out of breath.

"That went well, don't you think?" She was radiating happiness.

"The only reason you think that went so well was because you got to hit her." Bella placed her hand on my cheek. "Edward, if you had struck her, she would have had you arrested. Let me do the hitting and you can lie to the cops to get me out of trouble."

"Why Ms Swan, I don't know what I'm going to do with you. You've got quite a violent streak…its hot!"

I held her close as we walked back to her truck. "Since we didn't eat, how about lunch, love?"

"Sounds good, but please take me anywhere but here."

"As you wish."

OoOoO

**So Chelsea is done…Edward and Bella dumped the slow route, and Bella's semi moved into her house. Next chapter will cover the two weeks leading to Jake's return. **

**Let me know what you think. Please leave a review.**


	21. Chapter 21

_**AN: Just to let you know there may not be an update next week. I am going to be going back through the chapters fixing errors on my part as well as some things that ffn may have messed with.**_

_**I want to thank you all for the reviews, favorites and alerts I've received. It means a lot to me.**_

_**Now for a look at the family Edward and Bella are trying to create.**_

_**Disclaimer: SM owns it all. I am just borrowing her characters for my story. No copyright infringement intended.**_

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 20

**BPOV**

After Edward and I had an enjoyable lunch, we made our way back to Carlisle and Esme's house.

"How do you feel, love?" Edward had asked that same question about 20 times in the last hour. "Really Edward, I'm fine. I feel great actually. Chelsea won't bother us again and I got to let loose some of my aggression towards her."

I'm really not a person for physical confrontations, but after what she did and what she said, I had really wanted to hit her. I knew she wouldn't try anything with me, but if Edward had been the one to strike her she would have had him arrested.

We walked into the house and could hear the girls giggling and Edward's parents laughing. As soon as we entered the living room they all cracked up again.

"Son, I would have thought you would know the dangers in changing a diaper on a boy. I guess you get it from your father though." Esme was all but rolling on the floor she was laughing so hard.

"What are you talking about, Mom?" Riley was sitting in Carlisle's lap pulling on his sweater.

"Mamma…Mammaa…"

I walked over to Carlisle and lifted Riley from his arms and high over my head. He laughed a choked belly laugh and I blew a raspberry against his tummy.

"Kate and Irina were helping your father change Riley's diaper, after he tried to do it on his own and received an impromptu shower. I thought you men would already know about covering them..."

Esme was flushed from all the laughter.

"Edward was adorable, he caught it in the chest and then Riley made like a sprinkler again so he made a mad dash with Riley to his shower, screaming for my help."

The girls were still giggling, "Yeah we told Grandpa about Dad's mess this morning."

Edward was turning red with embarrassment. "It's ok, sweetheart. It's happened to me a few times." I handed Riley to him and pushed up on my toes to kiss his cheek.

We settled on the sofa across from his parents and filled them in on our meeting with Chelsea.

"I think Bella really made her point when she slapped Chelsea's face." Esme cracked me up when all she did was put her fist out for me to bump.

I looked at my watch and then at the girls.

"Well if we are going to have time to try on dresses, Kate, Irina and I need to get going. Esme you are welcome to join us if you'd like." She just shook her head.

Kate and Irina went to get their purses as Edward got his wallet. He passed me one of his credit cards. "I don't need this Edward. I want to buy the girls' dresses."

He shook his head. "No, love, please take this. There is no need telling what they will find." To save an argument, I took the card and kissed him quickly.

I looked at Riley. "Be good for Daddy and your grandparents." Riley leaned into me and gave me a sloppy wet kiss on my cheek. "Love you." And in Edward's ear I whispered, "Both of you."

The girls said a quick goodbye and we walked out to the Navigator. "Alright, so we need Homecoming dresses. Any ideas of what you want?"

"It's a semi-formal dance Bella, so nothing Prom worthy." I had a feeling the best place for us to go would be the University Village Shops. After the whirlwind shopping experience with Alice years before I knew we would be able to find everything they would need.

We spent three hours trying to find the perfect dresses for Kate and Irina, although I think Irina found the dress she wanted in the first one she tried. We had initially gone straight for JCrew, but the girls wanted to make sure they chose the right one so we made a stop at almost every juniors and women's clothing store in the mall.

"Katie, I want to go back to JCrew. I really want that sweater dress." The dress had been perfect on Irina. It was Merino wool and was suitable for a 14 year old to wear to a dance. It fell just above her knee, had a boatneck, three-quarter sleeves and was navy and white with sequins on the bodice.

I looked at Kate who was still looking at the dresses on the rack. "Is anything hitting you, Katie? If not, lets go back and get the dress for Irina and then we'll try some other places. We can head to another mall if necessary."

Kate redressed and once we were back in JCrew she ran off to look at their little black dress collection. I helped Irina find her dress and gave it to the sales associate to hold while we waited for Katie. She came out from the dressing room wearing an adorable deep turquoise bubble dress with spaghetti straps. "It's beautiful, Katie." Irina nodded her head in agreement.

"How do you think your Dad will feel about the neckline?" It was very simple, but she was showing skin and I knew overprotective Daddyward might just complain.

"What if we find a cardigan for you to wear with it just until you are out of the house?" I went over to the sweaters and found a pewter cardigan that would not make the dress look horrible, so it was added to our purchases as Kate changed and brought out her dress.

Within the next hour we had shoes and clutches for them to round out their look for the night.

"Bella, Dad's going to freak because you didn't use that credit card." I just shook my head and smiled at them as I dialed Edward's cell.

"Hey love, how is the shopping going?" I could hear Riley laughing in the background and Esme talking to him.

"We're good sweetheart, but I just noticed the time. Would you mind if I took the girls for a quick dinner and then we'll swing by to get you and Ry before heading home? I'm sure that you and Esme can figure out dinner for Riley."

"No problem, love. Mom prepared some mashed potatoes and she's straining some carrots. Have fun with the girls and we'll see you soon. I love you Bella." The girls were staring at me as if they knew what their father had said and that he was waiting. Oh well.

"I love you too, Edward. We'll be back soon."

The girls voted on pizza so we made our way to the car to put our purchases away before walking over to Delfino's Pizza. While gorging ourselves on their Chicago styled deep dish spinach pizza the girls let me know that they really were happy about their father and I together.

"Bella, you brought Dad back to us after Mom died. He was so happy when you were around. After you left for school he was there, but sad. He worked a lot and he was always alone. We could tell the difference in him when he saw you again. Even though I was furious about it, I recognized that he was himself again, happy, but I couldn't see past my rage and helped ruin that time for you both. I feel horrible that I can never make that time up to you and Dad."

I pulled Irina over to me and hugged her. "Rin, stop please. Edward and I are in a good place. I forgive you sweetheart. I've loved both of you girls since you were little. It was impossible not to fall for you both. I want you to realize where your father and I are headed though, and please tell me if you have any issues about what I am going to say." I took a deep breath, wondering if maybe I should just save this for Maggie. No, if things go as planned for Edward and I in the future I'm going to be around them always and need to start rebuilding that relationship.

"Edward and I love each other and have loved each other for a long time. We both want the 5 of us to be a family. How will you both feel if I am one day your stepmother? Rini I know you are trying and you have been wonderful with Riley, but will you be ok with me living in the same house, sleeping in your father's bed, maybe one day having more siblings?" She looked at me and took a breath, then another.

"It's what we all want, Bella." She wasn't evading my eyes. She had looked me straight in the eye as she spoke. I let out the breath I didn't realize I had been holding and smiled at them. "Really, you're ok with your father and I being together?" Kate and Irina nodded, we were all teary and I really wanted to get back to Edward. I paid for our dinner with Edward's credit card and we quickly walked back to my truck.

"Thanks for today, Bella. I'm glad you agreed to take us shopping. It was a lot of fun." Kate said as she and Irina climbed into the back seat.

"I really enjoyed this afternoon and evening, girls. We should have a 'girls only' weekend once a month and invite Alice and Rose along." We drove back to the Senior Cullen's house and as soon as we arrived the three of us were out of the car and up the steps into the house.

A quick scan of the living room showed me that Riley was asleep in the pack 'n play and the adults' voices were coming from the kitchen.

Edward stopped mid-sentence as I rushed into his arms. "Love, Bella are you alright?"

He looked decidedly concerned at my behavior. I placed my palm against his cheek, feeling the light scruff along his jaw.

"I love you, Edward Cullen." I licked my lips and pulled him down to my level so I could kiss him like I needed to. Despite the presence of his daughters as well as his parents Edward deepened the kiss and pulled me tight against his body.

As the sounds of Carlisle's laughter and Esme's Alice like squeals broke our bubble, Edward pulled back slowly.

"I love you, my Bella. Are you sure you're alright?" I just nodded and held tighter to him.

"Well, I'm glad to see that again." Esme chuckled and I blushed. We had just given the majority of the Cullen family a floorshow.

"It's getting late, Mom, so we should be heading back home. Thank you for watching the kids earlier and putting up with me this afternoon." Edward gave his mother an awkward side armed hug because I had not let go of him.

I finally released him to give Carlisle a hug before Esme grabbed me so close I wasn't sure she was going to let go. "Thank you, Bella. You let me know if you ever need a break and I'll come spend some time with Riley." She looked over at her husband, "Maybe its time to build that cottage we were thinking about near Edward's, hmmm? I want more time with my babies and their babies." Carlisle smiled. "We'll see…"

The girls both said their goodbyes and took the bags to the car. I picked up a still sleeping Riley while Edward broke down the playpen and carried it out to the car.

"Thanks again for today Carlisle, Esme. I really appreciate it." They each softly kissed Riley's head. "We'll see you soon, Bella."

Both girls slept on the drive back to Forks. I was surprisingly wide awake. I told Edward about our shopping excursion as well as the dinner conversation I had the girls.

"They really do accept me. Kate, I was not worried about, but Irina was adamant that she only wanted our happiness." Edward smiled and glanced over at me before returning his eyes to the road.

"They love you Bella. Irina was angry because of the lies she was told, but both she and Kate have always loved you. My girls have Tanya's loving heart. They need you in their lives, especially at this time, to help guide them through the right choices in life."

**EPOV**

Seeing the reaction Bella had to what Kate and Irina told her filled my heart. It was like a switch had been flipped and she was that girl again, the one that was ready for forever before I pushed her away.

"Edward, we are meeting with Maggie this week, right?" I nodded, "Yes Tuesday afternoon. That won't interfere with your work schedule, will it?"

"No, essentially I am only working a few hours a day and mainly from my home office so we will be fine. Once I get into the swing of things I'll have meetings with Eric and the others three times a week at the paper."

I knew she was excited about getting back to work. Bella was never one for 'idle hands' even though raising Riley was a full-time job for her.

"What about your writing? Aren't you working on a children's story?"

"I'm waiting to hear back from Angela. I've been a little busy, but I'll manage to get some writing time in. Edward, I want to make sure we talk everything over about our relationship and what's in the future for us as a family, with Maggie." I brushed my fingers over her cheek, nodding my understanding.

Bella was biting her bottom lip and I was jealous, I wanted to be nibbling on it. I needed to stay away from that train of thought while driving. Thankfully Bella distracted me from those thoughts. "Edward, what was your mom talking about earlier? Are they planning to move up to Forks?"

"Dad is thinking of retiring from the hospital and Mom has been after him to move closer to us for years. Everyone is here and now that she has grandchild number three she wants to be close."

"They'll come over when Rose has the baby, right?" I nodded. "I suppose they planned to stay with you and the girls, but what if they stayed in the cottage?"

My head whipped around to look at her. Bella was chewing that lip again, so I knew there was more. Looking back to the road I asked, "Why?"

"I want to offer them the cottage for when they visit. Its right next to Em and Rose, your house is not far and it would give them privacy as well as privacy for us. After today I realized I don't want to spend the nights away from you. The conversation with the girls tonight clinched it for me. They seem alright with everything, so I want to get the cottage set up, but I want to live with you. We can either return the nursery furniture or leave it for your parents. Knowing Esme she'll want it set up so she can kidnap the babies."

"I think they would enjoy that. Maybe they will want to keep the cottage permanently." A thought occurred to me and made me think buying a bullet proof vest may not be such a bad idea.

"Bella…what about Charlie?" She looked at my face and started laughing. "Oh, sweetheart, don't worry about Dad. He knows how I feel about you and since he didn't kill you the other morning, I think we'll be ok."

I kissed the hand I was holding telling her, "I love you."

The kids slept the entire drive and Bella dropped off after we hit Port Angeles. I spent the last 45 minutes of the drive thinking over all we had talked about.

Bella wanted to move her clothing as well as most of Riley's things over to the house, but leave things such as kitchen gear and her linens in the house for my parents. Honestly I'm not sure why we hadn't thought of offering the cottage to my parents before. Mom was there with Rose when they started the remodel, so she was familiar with the house.

We'll still have the party in the backyard to welcome Riley to the family and Bella home to Forks. Bella wants to spend some time at the cottage with me and the girls; she's worried that if everyone finds out that she's living at the house they'll assume that our relationship was the reason for her divorce.

'_Bella the town will think what it wants to. We need to do what is right for us, and if that means spending weekends at your house, no problem.'_

'_Can we just do that until my divorce is finalized? The girls can camp out in the basement Friday and Saturday nights and we'll be back to your house Sunday before work and school on Monday.'_

I had to laugh at her reasoning, but did that after she fell asleep. In less than three weeks she would be free of Jake and we would move her in officially. I would do anything for her, and this was an easy request to grant.

I parked the car near the door and started the task of waking the girls. Kate and Irina went straight upstairs to their rooms. I shook Bella gently and told her we were home and that I was getting Riley out of the car.

Riley chose that moment to wake up and decide he wanted to stay up so I passed him to a sleepy Bella and told her to just wait before getting out of the car. I grabbed the pack 'n play and set it up in my room before going back outside to take Riley back from Bella and help her from the car. She was more alert as we walked into the house. I laid Ry on the bed and got everything ready to change his diaper, we were not going to have a repeat performance of this morning's waterworks.

"Edward, do you want me to change him?" I laughed and shook my head at her, "No, love, I've got him, he's wide awake though. Can you bring some of his toys down? That way he can play while we lay down to watch him."

I watched Bella walk out of the room and turned to my son, "Hey Buddy, think you'll be sleepy again soon? I was hoping for some time with Mommy."

When he grinned at me I could just hear him say _'No way is that going to happen Dad, not with me here!'_ "Mamma mammaaaaa," Riley kept repeating until he heard her come back.

I finished changing his diaper and put him in fresh pajamas and socks. "I hear you sweet boy. Mommy's coming." Bella walked in with his lion and a soft book. She put a sheet in the playpen and got a blanket ready before taking him from me and giving him a bottle of water.

She then walked over to me, smirking. "So were you giving our son a talk? Trying to convince him to go back to sleep?" I wrapped my arms around her waist, loving the feel of her against me. "Well he's developing a habit love. We need to try to break him of it." I was laughing at my own foolishness. "Let's get changed, Edward. Riley is fine in there by himself for a bit." I just pulled off my shirt and walked into the bathroom to brush my teeth. Bella trailed in behind me and I jumped when she smacked my ass.

"Bella, what in hell was that for?"

I looked at her, pouted out my lower lip and rubbed where she hit me, I must poor on some guilt after all. "Awe, I'm sorry sweetheart. Do you want me to make it all better?" I turned and backed her up against the sink, pressing up against her. "How will you make it better, Bella?"

I leaned into her neck, she always smelled so sweet right behind her ear, and it was nothing to do with perfume. "Let me make it better, baby." She was running her hands down my back while I kissed down her neck, we were just getting started when "Mamma…Daddad…Mamma…" came from our room.

Her hands froze in place just over my ass and I sighed, pressing against her one last time before stepping back. "Parenting calls. I'll check on him while you finish in here." Bella walked back in to the room while I quickly brushed my teeth and stripped out of my pants and socks. I walked back in to see Riley up on our bed lying against Bella's chest.

"He wants to cuddle. Will you watch him while I change?" I settled onto the bed and drew his little body up against me. Just looking at him you could tell he wouldn't be awake much longer. Riley rolled over and holding his lion in one hand, used his other to pat my chest. "Daddad." His little voice was quiet, he was almost out.

I started to hum the lullaby I wrote for him and soon he was out. My eyes felt heavy and I promised myself I would only close them for a minute.

**BPOV**

I took my time in the bathroom because I knew Riley would be asleep soon, so when I walked back into the bedroom finding Riley asleep was not a surprise. The surprise was seeing a sleeping Edward's big body curled around our son. He was not laying on him at all, but he caged Riley in so he wouldn't roll off the bed. I gingerly picked Riley up and carried him up to his crib.

I was feeling really good about the decisions we had made about our living situation. Edward thought I was worried about the wrong things, but he loved me and he supported me even when I told him my strange idea. I wanted to be with Edward and the girls all day everyday, but this town feeds on gossip. After the nastiness of Jessica I knew more would be coming at us, so I just wanted up to wait until the paperwork was finalized on my divorce before officially living here. Edward had been very receptive to the idea of his parents staying at the cottage. It would be a perfect set up for them and give Esme a lot of time with her grandchildren as well as Em and Rose's baby. I really did need to talk to Rose about everything. I don't want her to think I'm just going to forget about my lease, but I have a feeling she's not going to have to worry about the house being empty either.

After making sure Riley was tucked in and still sleeping, I checked on Kate and Irina before heading back down to Edward's room. It still seemed so surreal that we were together again. Edward and I were building the foundation that our family will be built upon. I walked into the room and sighed. Edward was now stretched out on his back, arms over his head, and on top of the covers, so I took a blanket out of the closet and spread it over him as I crawled in beside him. This was my happy place and right where I always belonged.

**OoOoO**

_**Ok I didn't get as far as I planned but this was a great stopping point. The next chapter has Bella starting work, the family therapy session as well as the weekend of the BBQ party.**_

_**Oh and Bella telling Charlie about their plans.**_

_**Thanks again for all the alerts and reviews. Let me continue hearing from you. **_

_**Please review.**_


	22. Chapter 22

_**AN: So FFn has been having issues. This chapter is a little later than I intended for it to be. It's a bit transitional with a surprise at the end.**_

_**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns it all. I'm just borrowing her characters for my story. No copyright infringement intended**_

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 21

Adjustments, Therapy, Boys and BBQ

**BPOV**

The next afternoon found me knee deep in laundry. I had been too busy during the week to get more than one load of laundry done, and with a baby that task was never ending.

"Bella, just wait until tomorrow and Shelly will help you." Edward was carrying Riley up the stairs for a bath. Riley had gotten under the sink in the kitchen and discovered the dish detergent and now he was covered in _Dawn_.

"It will drive me crazy if I don't get at least some of his clothes done." Edward had definitely gotten spoiled having Mrs. Cope here. He left most everything for her except the dishes. On the other hand, I have been responsible for keeping house most of my life. Growing up I helped my mother, and then I took care of first the apartment, then our house in California. This area was something Edward and I were definitely going to have to discuss because I enjoyed taking care of things. I knew I would get used to having Mrs. Cope do some things, but I wanted to cook and the girls needed to have responsibilities in the house as well.

I started another load of clothes and took the basket of Riley's pajamas and shirts up to his room. Edward was still bathing Riley and I could hear the laughter as I passed the door.

We had spent the morning hours setting up the cottage. I moved my clothing as well as Riley's to Edward's, but left the bed linens and kitchen supplies for use when we were there. It didn't take long to make the beds and set up the basement for the girls to sleep in the next weekend.

The barbeque was planned thanks to Alice, and everyone had been invited. I got an email from Eric stating that Alice had requested the entire staff's email addresses so she could invite them. I only hope one didn't go out to the Newton's. At least I didn't have to worry about anything to do with the party. Alice and Rose had decorations and supplies handled and Emmett and Edward would take care of the food.

I had just finished putting away the last of the clothing when my boys walked into the room. "We're all clean now Momma." Edward handed me a towel wrapped Riley and sat in the rocking chair while I diapered and changed him.

"I'll go get the latches for the cabinets in a bit, love. I didn't even think about him getting under the sink."

"Yeah, I think this is just the beginning. We'll need to put gates on the stairs, latch all the cabinet doors in the kitchen, bathrooms, and the entertainment center. Are you sure you're ready for all of this again, Edward? If you want to wait, I will understand."

He gave me such a hard look. "No way, you two are here and I'm not letting you go." He held out his hand pulling me into his lap. Riley laughed and jumped at Edward.

"I am definitely ready for this. We have a little adjusting to do around here, but it's worth _any_ changes to have us all together, Bella." I leaned into his embrace as he rocked us.

"There are definitely some things that I will have to get used to, but this is right for all of us. Riley is so happy here. You look happy and the girls seem to be doing well…" My voice trailed off because it suddenly felt like it had all been a little too easy.

"What is it, love?"

"I wonder when the other shoe will drop. We've all blended seamlessly so far. Has it been too easy?"

Edward's voiced deepened and grew quiet as he said, "I think we should look at it as a blessing, Bella. We've been through so much for so long…maybe we are finally catching a break. We still have so much to deal with, like Jake. We are waiting for your divorce to be finalized and we've got to look into changing Riley's birth certificate. Don't forget the holidays are coming quickly, so it's going to get crazy here for a while."

"You're heading to California before Christmas, right? I heard you mention it to Chelsea." It had hurt to hear it that way, because he had not told me anything about it.

"I've been trying to change the dates, Bella. I wanted to wait to say anything until it was finalized, but I am going to have to go for the week leading up to Christmas. I will be home Christmas Eve in the afternoon. I want to sit down and talk to you later about this, so you know what my schedule will be like for the next few months."

"We have a lot to talk about, Edward. With all the excitement of the last few days…we forgot that we're blending a family together. I like things a certain way, you like things done your way…we're going to have to compromise a lot."

He nodded then kissed my temple and went to stand, taking me and Riley with him.

I laughed. "Put me down, you loon!"

"Let's go start dinner. I want to have an early evening tonight." He set me down and then leaned in to whisper, "I've got to make up for falling asleep on you last night, after all."

My face as well as my whole body heated at his words. Riley, thankfully broke the tension with his squeal, so we walked downstairs.

Dinner was proving to be a lively time in the Cullen house. After having quiet meals for so long, it was wonderful. Kate went on and on about Brady and how sweet he was to her at school. Edward was not happy about his daughter dating a boy. I reminded him their first date would not be until Friday night, but agreed that a talk would need to happen. She was definitely taken with this boy.

"What about you, Irina? Is there a boy you like in school?"

She blushed, but shook her head. "No, most of the guys my age are strange and are only after one thing." I thought poor Edward was going to stroke out when she said that.

"That's right, baby girl, just stay away from boys. You don't need to think about them for at least another 10, 12 years."

We all laughed at him. "They are going to grow up whether you want them to or not, Edward. Try not to worry too much. Kate and Irina are good girls."

Riley was enjoying the attention he was receiving from his sisters. Irina had decided to avoid the 'boys' talk by making silly faces, causing Riley to laugh.

I looked over at Edward and he was taking everything in. "This is what dinners should always be like."

Edward cleaned up the kitchen, since I cooked and both girls helped him. I took Riley up to clean his face and change him for the night, before taking a storybook and going back into the den to read it.

Edward got his wish a little later. Riley fell asleep so we put him in bed and then told the girls goodnight as they went up to their rooms, and then Edward more than made up for falling asleep the night before.

O~O~O~O

The next morning, Mrs. Cope was there by the time I was up with Riley. She prepared breakfast for us all and took Riley from me, so she could feed him while I got dressed.

It was going to be an adjustment, alright. Edward was still sleeping when I walked back into the room. I took a quick shower and dressed in slacks and a sweater, leaving my hair down, before sitting next to him and kissing his back.

"Edward, honey, the girls are about to leave for school and I need to leave soon." He rolled over and grabbed my waist. "You're leaving me today?" He had that bottom lip pouted out.

"I've got to go in for a staff meeting. I'll be back before you know it." I leaned down and kissed him, "You could always drop me off and pick me up later, for lunch with Ry."

"Hmmm, I could do that. I think I want to do that." He sat up saying, "I'll be ready in thirty minutes, love."

This was good. We would be able to talk about some of the things I wanted to address, during lunch. I left Edward to get ready and went back to the kitchen. Riley was happy with all the attention he was getting and didn't notice me come back.

I admit I felt a little jealous. I was so used to being his number one. I felt bad for leaving him, even if it was only for a few hours. He was fine in Shelly's care, giggling at his sisters and eating his breakfast.

"What's the matter, love?" Edward wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me back against his chest.

I shook my head. "Nothing, really, I'm just being silly."

"Bella?"

I took a steadying breath. "It's just that I've always been his caregiver, even in California. I took him to work with me. He seems to be just fine with me leaving him. I guess I'm jealous." I looked over my shoulder at Edward's face. "I told you it was silly."

He turned me around and lifted my chin so I was looking in his eyes. "It's not silly, love. Trust me, Riley knows when you aren't there and he asks for you. He's such a great little boy, Bella. He loves everyone and loves the attention, but he knows when you are gone and he lights up when you come back."

"Mammaa, Daddada"

I turned to see Irina carrying Riley into the kitchen. "We've got to go, and Ry wanted his Mommy." She handed me the baby and kissed her father goodbye. Kate called out a goodbye to us as she went out to Shelly's car.

It was getting late and I needed to get to work. "You ready to ride with Daddy, Ry? I've got to go to work for a while, but you'll get to spend the morning with Daddy and Shelly." Riley picked that moment to tear up. "Nooo, don't cry, baby. I love you, sweetheart. I'll be done soon, and you'll be coming with Daddy to pick me up." Edward walked back in with his keys and my computer bag.

"Ready?" I nodded and grabbed my purse. "Let's go."

The drive was quick, and soon we were outside the _Weekly_'s office. "So Riley and I will be back at noon?"

"Yeah, I'll call if it's going to take longer, and definitely if I'm ready sooner. I love you."

I went to get out, but Edward told me to wait. He got out and walked around to my door, taking both of my bags from me. "Riley will be fine, don't worry. We'll keep each other distracted while you are gone." He placed the computer case's strap on my shoulder and handed me my purse. "There's a present in there for you, well for your office. Maybe it will help the separation anxiety. I love you, Bella." He quickly kissed me and sent me in the office.

I didn't see anyone until after I had gotten into my office and set up my laptop. Eric popped his head in as I pulled a box out of my messenger bag. "Morning Bella, getting settled in I see."

"Morning, Eric. I'm trying to get settled. It's a little strange to be at work with out Riley."

"You'll be home before you know it. Meeting is in the conference room in 10 minutes, ok?" I nodded, "I'll be right there."

After Eric left, I opened the box that Edward had put in my bag. Inside were two picture frames. In one was a picture of Riley in his highchair, covered in food and laughing. The second frame held a picture I recognized as one my father must have taken when he was at dinner with us on Friday. It was a photo of the family. Edward and I were seated on the sofa with Riley on my lap and Kate and Irina on either side of us. It was perfect, and just what I needed today. I set them up on my desk and grabbed a notebook and my pen and walked down to the conference room.

Two hours and a massive headache later I was back in my office waiting for Edward to come back. I had just taken something for the headache when the cause walked in my door without knocking.

"So, Bella, have you settled in to your house alright? Need help moving any boxes or making your bed?"

Mike Newton was leering at me and leaning over my desk. "Get out, Mike."

He held up his hands in supplication. "I was just offering my services, helping an old friend." I pinched the bridge of my nose in irritation. "I'm fine, Mike. I've already gotten settled and I have all the help I could possibly need, from Edward."

"That's right, you and Cullen…" He noticed my pictures and picked them up for a better look. "Cute kid."

"Thanks." I wanted to rip them from his hands. Eric was definitely going to hear about this. There was no way I would be able to deal with Newton.

"I never would have pegged you as a cheater, Bella. You've got a ready made family and you aren't even divorced yet."

The anger that was building was just causing my head to pound harder. Instead of losing my temper with him, and I was very close to doing that, I buzzed Eric. "Eric, will you come down to my office for a minute? Mike Newton is here and I want to get some things straight."

Eric had to have heard my tone and he knew Mike was a thorn in my side. "I'll be right there."

Mike's eyes got wide. "I'll just leave so you can …"

"Don't, you're the reason behind this, so stay." I stood up and grabbed my pictures from his hands, placing them back onto the desk.

"Bella, what's going on?" Eric spoke to me but was looking at Mike.

"I'm not going to work with him, Eric. I don't need the irritation he causes just by existing."

"What happened? Mike?"

"Nothing, I just offered to help her unpack."

I scoffed, "He offered to help makeup my bed, and then was making comments about my family."

"What did he say?" Eric, Mike and I all turned to look at the doorway. Edward was standing there with Riley perched on his hip. Mike blanched.

"Mammaa!" Riley squealed. Edward walked over to me, kissing my head as he passed Ry to me.

"Edward, don't."

He looked back at me, "I want to hear this, love." He walked over to Mike, "What did you offer her?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to help out an old friend." Edward laughed. "I know what you wanted. It's what you wanted back when you were in high school. Aren't you married to the shrew we saw the other morning? Leave my family alone, Newton."

"Bella, I'll have a talk with Mike. I don't see any reason for there to be a problem for him to email his columns to you."

I nodded to Eric. "I'll call you later and we can talk about it."

"Mike, go to my office, I'll be there in a few minutes." Mike left, casting a worried glance at Edward.

"Good to see you, Eric." Edward greeted him. "You too Ed. Now I want to see this little guy." Eric asked if he could hold Riley, and Ry willingly went to him. While Eric "ooohed" and "ahhhed" over Riley I packed my computer and notebook along with the articles I had to edit and a list of those that would be emailed.

"He's adorable. You two did good work with all those great genes." I blushed and laughed. Edward just said, "You're right."

Eric handed Riley back to Edward and as we were leaving, he said, "Oh, thanks for the invite to the barbeque on Saturday. Todd and I are looking forward to it. Is there anything we can bring?"

I shook my head, "No, I think we've got it handled. I'll speak to you later today, Eric."

We walked out to Edward's car and as he fastened Riley into his seat I noticed the picnic basket. "A picnic?" I practically squealed.

Edward laughed. "Yes, I thought we could head over to the beach to have lunch and play with Ry."

The drive to First Beach passed quickly. After getting a blanket spread out and feeding Riley, Edward and I ate a superb lunch that Mrs. Cope prepared for us.

"I guess I could get used to eating Mrs. Cope's meals. She definitely knows her way around a kitchen."

"What's bothering you, love?" I set my plate down and shifted Riley so he was sitting in the middle of the blanket, before laying my head on Edward's lap.

"I'm just not used to having someone there picking up after me. I've always taken care of myself and my house. I like doing things around the house, like laundry. Yes it can get annoying, but I love taking care of my family and it makes me feel needed."

Edward brushed my hair away from my face and looked down at me. "Bella, just because Shelly is there to help doesn't mean we don't need you. She's been helping with the girls and the house for the last seven years, and I really needed her, but the girls are older now. I want you comfortable in our home, Bella. If you want things done a certain way, then we will do them."

I sat up, leaning into Edward. "I don't want you to fire her; she's a part of the family. I just … I don't know, I just like being needed. I know that she's going to watch Riley when you work and I need to be at the paper. She also picks up the girls from school, but I want some of that responsibility too. It's just going to be an adjustment to sharing the role that's all."

"You're what's important, Bella. I don't want it to be just my house, it's ours. Whatever you want to change, you have free rein to do so."

We spent another hour just enjoying the day. We took Riley down to the water and let him dip his feet in, walked along the shore and explored the tidal pools.

Tuesday morning, I left Edward in bed and pulled on yoga pants and a t-shirt so I could take Kate and Irina to school. Shelly and I sat down the previous afternoon and worked out a schedule that would benefit us both. I would drive the girls to school in the mornings while she fed Riley his breakfast. Shelly, would vacuum and dust downstairs while I cleaned our room and did the laundry. We both thought it was time Kate and Irina learned to take care of their clothing, so the girls would wash and put away their own clothes. As far as the kitchen went, we divided the duties. She would prepare breakfast during the week, while I took care of dinner. Edward would take care of himself for lunch and he would feed Riley as long as he was home during the day.

I was feeling more comfortable and settled now that we had defined the roles each of us played in the house. After dropping the girls off at the high school, I went by the bakery to pick up a cake for dessert as well as a few of Edward's favorite pastries for later.

"Have you been getting settled in at your house, Bella?" Mrs. Weber asked. She was boxing up the carrot cake and éclairs for me.

"Yes, Ma'am, Edward helped me get everything moved in. It's so nice being home."

"I imagine it is. You two seem awfully cozy. Is your father alright with it?"

"Dad is happy that I am finally happy. He's always liked Edward and we've become one large family unit now. Edward and I love each other, Mrs. Weber, and we deserve to be happy just like everyone else." She looked at me with such understanding, and love.

"Bella, sweetheart, I know you love each other. I'm also very happy that you are finally with the man you were always supposed to be with. I don't think Angela ever knew about you and Edward after high school, but I could tell something was there when you would bring those girls in. I just want to make sure he treats you right."

I gave her a hug before I left.

Driving home, I felt hopeful that the more we were out and about together and as a family, the more we'd be accepted.

Edward was playing with Riley in the family room as I walked into the house. I set the pastry boxes in the kitchen then walked over and sat down with the boys.

"Good morning, love. You were up early." He leaned over Riley, kissing me sweetly. "I missed you when you left."

I laughed, "I was only gone about thirty minutes, baby. You couldn't have had that much time to miss me." He just looked at me.

"Every minute you are away, I miss you."

"I miss you too, you sap." I kissed his chin and stood up. "I've got some laundry to finish, and then I need to get the living room set for Maggie."

I was not worried about the session tonight. Maggie had told Edward it would be informal and really just a way for all of us to speak openly about everything that had happened. She needed all the background information so her sessions with Irina would be more targeted to her needs.

Shelly picked up the girls and dropped them off at the house by 2:30. She was going home for the rest of the day, because Maggie was due by 4 o'clock. I had just put Riley down for his afternoon nap, when I heard the doorbell.

Edward was showing her into the living room when I walked back downstairs.

"Bella, it's so good to see you again." I shook her hand then stepped back, taking Edward's hand in mine. "Yes, it's good to see you. Thanks for coming today." Kate and Irina joined us on the sofa and we began our session.

Maggie asked us to start at the beginning and Edward told her about our first breakup and how he pushed me away. We discussed how we both felt at the time and then she asked Irina how she felt about everything that she had learned from us.

"I wish I had just said something to Dad about what Aunt Chelsea said to me. I don't know if I would have believed him, but maybe I would have. I had the hardest time after Mom died. I loved Bella, but felt so guilty about it. Chelsea made me believe that I couldn't care for Bella that it was wrong and I would be betraying my mother's memory. I hurt my father and Bella by helping Jake keep them apart. We also missed out on being there when Riley was born. I just feel guilty about it all." Edward held her close and told her there was no need for more apologies. She was not the one at fault.

We told Maggie about what we had learned about Chelsea and Jake as well as our meeting with Chelsea in Seattle. I was just starting to speak about the adjustments I had to moving in with Edward and the girls, when the baby monitor sounded. Riley was awake.

"Excuse me, I'll be right back."

I rushed upstairs and quickly changed Riley before grabbing a bottle of juice and going back to the living room to join everyone. Edward took him from me and Maggie turned her attention to the baby. "How has having a baby around changed things here?" She looked not only to the girls but to Edward as well.

"It's great having a baby brother. I loved him from the minute I saw him." Kate had had the easiest transition. Nothing seemed to faze her.

"I wasn't happy about Bella and the baby at first, but that was because I didn't know. Once Dad and Bella told me about Riley, who he really was to me, it's like this protectiveness came over me. I won't let anyone say or do anything to hurt him." Irina was almost as fiercely protective of Riley as I was.

We all looked at Edward as he began to speak. "When I first saw Bella in Rosalie's office, and I got a look at 'her' baby…I knew immediately that he was mine. He stared at me and I felt this connection to him. Bella mentioned that she thought I would be angry that she had kept him from me, but really I was just grateful that I had not missed more time with him. We've all made so many mistakes, I'm just grateful we are all here together."

Maggie spoke to us for another thirty minutes and then set up an appointment to speak to Irina the next Monday afternoon. Maggie said they would take it one appointment at a time, but didn't think weekly appointments would be necessary. She said we were handling things pretty well so far, but were welcome to call her whenever we needed to.

Dinner that night was a little more subdued than it had been before. I think we had just talked so much that there wasn't much to say. The only new thing that was brought up at dinner was when Kate asked permission to go out with Brady after the barbecue on Saturday.

"Katie, aren't you going to the dance with him Friday and isn't he coming to the party Saturday?"

"Yes, Dad, he is but there is a movie that we both want to see. Brady is hoping that after you get to know him a little better on Saturday, you'll let me go out with him."

Poor Edward wasn't ready for his little girls to grow up. He looked over to me.

"Kate, let him think about it, ok? I promise he'll give you an answer tomorrow."

That night after settling Riley into bed and saying goodnight to the girls, I told Edward to lie on his stomach so I could give him a massage.

"What's got you worried, Edward? Kate is a good girl and she knows not to go for the bad boys. You're going to be meeting Brady Friday before the dance, and he's going to be around our family all day Saturday. I'm sure between you, Em, Jasper and my father- you know- Chief Swan, you guys will make sure he knows to be respectful to Kate." I rubbed his tense muscles as we spoke. I think the bit about my dad also putting the fear of God into him relaxed him the most.

"Your dad Bella, he has this knack for intimidation. I've got to get him to teach me so I can be better prepared for when boys come around. Thank goodness Irina isn't interested in anyone yet."

Oh my sweet deluded man. Did he not realize it would only be a matter of time before boys would be coming here for Irina as well?

"Well maybe if we have more children, well be lucky to have only boys. That would give you less to worry about."

He rolled over pulling me down on top of his chest. "I'll worry no matter what. You know that, love. Whether or not we have girls or boys, I would love more children with you. Do you feel like practicing now, love?" He flashed a wicked smile at me and rolled us until he was settled between my thighs. "I love you."

"I love you, Edward."

**EPOV**

Life had settled into a nice groove for us. Bella was taking the girls each morning to school, then would come home and work on her laptop for a couple of hours while I worked upstairs in the studio. Shelly was enjoying spending sometime with the baby and there was a peacefulness that had settled over us all.

Friday night Bella and I were taking Riley to the Forks High football game with Kate and Irina, and then Bella would help them get dressed for the dance. We were dropping Jared and Irina off with Kate at the gymnasium and Brady was bringing them all back to the house once they left the dance.

Bella had been teasing me all week about the girls growing up. I knew they were teenagers, and they were at the age where dating was normal, but it's hard for a father to let his daughters grow up. I don't think I'm going to be worried about Riley when he's 15 or 16 and going out on a date. I will have to make sure he knows about safe sex and everything, but with boys it's different. I know what to expect from him, just like I know what 17 year old boys think about 16 year old girls. I used to be one, and that right there is the reason fathers have such a hard time letting their daughters grow up.

The temperatures had been dropping and we dressed warmly, making sure Riley was bundled up enough to be outside for a couple of hours. Everyone attended the Homecoming game and the stands were packed. Charlie was meeting us and had gotten there early enough to save a row along the bottom of the bleachers.

"Hey kids. I hope you have a blanket or two with you, it's supposed to get colder." Bella sat with Riley in her lap, between me and Charlie. Irina was sitting with Jared and their friends and Katie went to find Brady. She wanted me to meet him before the dance and decided the game was the best place because it would be too noisy for me to interrogate him. "We've got it covered, Charlie." I said, while unfolding the stadium blanket, covering Bella and the baby. He looked over and nodded his approval. "So how are you handling the fact that your daughters have dates tonight?"

Charlie had offered me his shotgun if I wanted to pretend to clean it while speaking to the boys.

"He's going to be fine, Dad. I'm sure you can sympathize with him. I seem to recall you getting all overprotective of me a few times."

Charlie's mustache twitched, "Yeah, I recall having a fit about you moving in with some guy… you were taking care of his kids… then you left the state and went to college, you grew up too fast for me, baby girl."

"See Edward, that's something you need to remember. I may have grown up, but I will always be my Daddy's little girl. Kate and Irina will always be your little girls, too."

Kate walked over to us. Standing beside her was a clean cut boy with no visible piercings. That was a good sign. "Dad, Bella, I'd like you to meet Brady Summers. Brady, this is my father, Edward Cullen and his uh…girlfriend, Bella Swan."

I guess it was a little weird to pinpoint what Bella and I were to each other. Girlfriend wasn't adequate, but she wasn't yet my fiancée or my wife and partner didn't seem enough either.

We were able to stay through Half-Time and watch the Homecoming Queen be crowned, but it was getting too cold to keep Riley out any longer so we told Charlie goodbye and took Kate and Irina back to the house to get ready.

Bella sent me up to Riley's room to get him ready for bed while she and the girls took over our bathroom. Riley passed out quickly, so I knew one of us would be staying home while the other took the girls to the dance.

When I walked downstairs I saw two beautiful young women standing where my babies had been moments before.

"Wow, you take my breath away, ladies. You both look more and more like your mother." Irina had grown more like her mother each year, but seeing both girls standing there dressed up, I was seeing more of Tanya in both of them, than I had before.

Bella was taking pictures of Kate and Irina in various positions. "Edward, go stand between them, I want to get a few shots of the three of you." I was so proud standing beside my girls. It was truly being driven home that the girls were no longer that, they were young ladies and I was going to have to start letting them spread their wings.

I moved over to Bella, taking the camera. "Let me get a few of all my girls together before I have to take you to the dance." I got one of them standing together, arms around each other's waists. The girls stood taller than Bella, in their heels. They looked so right standing together.

Bella spoke to each of them quietly so I couldn't hear, then with a kiss to their cheeks she told them to have fun and call if they needed anything.

I drove over to Jared's house to pick him up before making our way to the school.

"Don't worry, Mr. Cullen. I'll keep an eye on Rin and Katie for you. I won't let anything happen." I was once again thankful this boy was my daughter's friend. I may just make it through their adolescence after all.

"Alright girls, don't forget curfew is midnight. You must be home by then. We have a busy afternoon tomorrow, so you need to sleep tonight. Have fun and please be careful. If you need anything, or someone needs help- call me or Bella, ok?" They nodded, blowing me kisses. "We'll be fine, Dad, bye!"

I drove back to the house intending to enjoy my night alone with Bella. I thought she'd be in the living room or kitchen when I got back, but instead I found her in the bathroom soaking in the tub.

"Hey, beautiful." She smiled. 

"Hi, handsome, did the girls get into the dance alright?" I nodded.

Bella sat forward in the tub and held out her hand. "Join me."

I stripped off my clothing and settled behind her in the tub. "This is nice," I said.

"I thought a bath might help you relax a bit. I knew you were worrying about tonight."

There was nothing as relaxing or as stimulating as the feel of Bella against me.

"I'm fine, love. I've just got to come to terms with the fact my babies are no longer babies, well except for Riley. Hmmm, maybe I just need to keep you pregnant…" Her head bumped mine as she turned around to look at me.

"Keep me pregnant? I don't think so, Edward. While I'd like to have another child, possibly two, I don't want to have more than that. Besides in another 10 years or so, Kate and Irina will be settling down and raising their own families."

"Bellllaa, I'm too young to be a grandfather. Please don't bring up that topic just yet." I pulled out the big guns and pouted my lip at her.

"I know, baby. We are much too young to be grandparents."

We played in the tub until the water cooled. After we dried off and dressed in our pajamas we just laid in bed kissing, touching and talking until my phone rang.

It was just after 11, so I hoped it would be Kate.

"Hey, Daddy, we're leaving the dance. Brady is driving us home before dropping Jared at home."

"Thanks for calling, sweetheart, I'll go wait to let you in."

Bella was smiling at me. "You are relieved, aren't you? Did she sound ok?" I kissed her briefly and got out of bed to let the girls in. "Yes, she sounded fine. He's dropping them here before taking Jared home."

Kate and Irina were laughing as they walked up the steps to the house. I waved goodnight to Brady and Jared and let the girls into the house.

"Did you have a good time?" They hugged me and kept laughing, though I did remind them to keep it quiet so not to wake Riley.

"It was great Dad. The music was ok, but we did have to avoid the punch because one of the seniors spiked it with vodka. Bella's dad ended up arresting a couple of the football players; they had a little too much to drink."

Irina looked at me, "It was fine, Daddy, honest. Brady and Jared decided to leave early before anything else happened, although I think Jared was meeting up with his boyfriend for a private party." I really didn't need to know that. "Ok girls, up to bed. There is a very busy day tomorrow. Don't forget to pack an overnight bag. We're staying at the cottage after the party."

"Did you make up your mind, Dad? May I go out with Brady tomorrow night?"

"He seems like a good guy, yes, you may go. The curfew is the same though, Kate. You have to be home by midnight." She wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Thank you, Daddy. I love you, goodnight."

I locked up and set the alarm before heading back to bed with Bella.

"Did they have fun?" She pulled the covers back for me to join her.

"Yes they did. Your father made an appearance and arrested a couple of guys that had too much of the spiked punch. High school never changes."

"No it doesn't and it never will. You just have to trust you've raised them the right way. No more worrying tonight, Edward. I know what will take your mind off of the girls." She trailed her hand down my chest, lower and lower, I moaned as she wrapped her little hand around me.

"Mmmm. I think you may be right, love."

**BPOV**

I was moving a little slower the next morning as I got our things together to take over to the cottage.

"Feeling ok, love?" Edward smirked as I gingerly moved around the room. We had been up late into the night and I was feeling all of our activities this morning.

"I'll be fine, but you get baby duty this morning, while I take a bath." He just laughed and rolled out of the bed, pulling on his pajama bottoms. Edward walked over to me and leaned down, brushing a kiss on my shoulder. "I'm sorry if I got too rough."

I turned to look at him, "Trust me, I'm not sorry, I think I just need to work out more."

Edward left me to soak in the tub and went to wake the girls and get Riley ready for the day.

Alice and Rose told me there should be close to fifty people at the party. I thought that was a little insane, but there would not only be my co-workers, but friends of everyone would also be there. Edward was looking forward to the announcement he planned about Riley. I was nervous about it. Dad had asked if I would be bothered by Billy coming up to the party. I told him it didn't bother me, but I wasn't sure Billy would want to come after everything that had happened with Jake and me.

'_He just wants to see you, Bella. No matter what has happened with you and Jake, Billy loves you and Riley.'_

Edward had not been thrilled with the invitation, but he couldn't say no. Billy was not at fault here and he had been a friend of Charlie's since they were kids. He did make me promise to let him know if it got uncomfortable.

By the time I joined everyone in the kitchen, breakfast was prepared and Riley was sitting in his highchair eating.

"Morning." Edward told me to sit as he brought me a plate with eggs, toast and fruit.

"I hear there was some excitement last night, so why was Dad there again?"

Irina laughed. "Someone decided to pour a bottle of vodka into the punch and a few football players got rough after drinking too much." 

"Yeah, but we didn't stay long after that, Brady wants to stay in Dad's good graces so he brought us home early." Kate seemed really happy with how things were going with Brady. I just hope they took their time.

"You two are going out later tonight, right?"

She nodded, "Yes, we're just going to a movie and I know I have to be back before midnight. I won't be late."

"That's good, because your father is probably looking for an excuse to never let you date again." I smiled over at him as he looked to Kate and just nodded.

We drove over to the cottage before noon to help set everything up. Edward and Emmett were on grill duty and after leaving Kate and Irina in charge of watching Riley, I helped Alice and Jasper set up tables and chairs. We had just brought out all of the plates, cups and plasticware when the first cars started to arrive. Alice had invited everyone. The Webers were there, Eric and Todd, Dad several of his deputies and their families, Brady, Jared, several kids from the high school and their parents.

Edward and I mingled together, welcoming everyone. Irina brought Riley over to me once her friends had arrived, and Edward decided that it was time for him to make a speech.

I wanted to stay in the background, but he was having none of that. He guided me up to the back deck of the cottage and turned to face our guests. Riley was hiding his face in my hair until he heard his Daddy speak.

"I want to thank you all for coming today. This is a celebration for many things. First, it's to welcome home one of Forks finest, the lovely Isabella Swan. She was gone for far too long and her being here has brightened all of our lives." He kissed my temple and hugged me closer to his side.

"We are also here celebrating the most amazing news and I wanted to share it all with you. There is an extra special guest today he's adorable, sweet and I am so proud to call him mine. I'd like for you all to meet _my_ son, Riley Masen Swan-Cullen." I looked at Edward. He leaned in and whispered, "We are going to be changing his birth certificate soon, might as well have everyone hear his true name."

He was just glowing with happiness. I felt bad about Edward missing the first several months of Riley's life, but Edward was determined to cherish what he had been given.

"I love you, Bella, so much." We were inundated with congratulations and well wishes from everyone. After a while everyone went back to their small groups talking, laughing and eating. I was speaking with Eric and Todd when Riley started to get fussy.

"Excuse me for a minute. I'm going to just put him down for a nap and I'll be right back."

I stopped over by the grill to let Edward know what I was doing. After changing him and putting him down in his crib, I took the receiver for the baby monitor and walked back outside. Edward was no longer with Emmett at the grill and as I scanned the crowd I spotted him walking quickly towards me. There was a wild look in his eye as well as something I never wanted to see, fear. I didn't understand what was going on, but as I went to call out to him, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"What…"

"Hello, Bells."

I turned and froze.

"Jake?"

O~O~O~O~O

_This week has been a torture for me. Some of this was written and rewritten while I was taking pain medicine. The chapter is later than I though due to the meds but also ffn failings. I had to cut it there and will try to have the next chapter up quickly. I think Monday's are going to be a better posting day as lately ffn is screwy on the weekends._

_Please let me know what you think._


	23. Chapter 23

_**AN: Sorry this one is a couple of days late. RL does tend to get in the way. **_

_**Stephenie Meyer owns it all, I am only borrowing the characters for my story. No copyright infringement intended.**_

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 22

The Ex-Factor

**EPOV**

It had been such a wonderful day. Bella was lovely, Riley was happy, and we were surrounded by all of our family and friends. I'd been helping Emmett at the grill for a while, but Em called me out for not paying attention again, he told me to find Bella. She had taken a very cranky Riley in for his nap so I went in search of Charlie. I wanted to see how he thought it was all going. I saw him across the yard greeting Billy Black.

I had not been thrilled that he was coming here. I knew he had always been a part of Bella's life, but I just didn't want anything to upset her today, and one comment from Billy could do that. As I got closer to Charlie, I noticed that he wasn't laughing with Billy, but it looked more like he was arguing with him.

Every hair on my body seemed to stand up at the same time.

"Charlie, is everything alright?" He turned to look at me, and I could see that he was battling for control of his emotions.

"Edward…I never thought, I mean, he wasn't…" Dread settled into my stomach.

"What is it, Chief?"

Charlie looked over my shoulder towards the house. "Billy called me earlier and said he had a ride so I wouldn't need to pick him up. I never imagined that the 'ride' was Jacob."

"He's here? Where? I've got to tell Bella…Christ Charlie, she's not ready for this yet."

I whirled around to go into the house and saw my beautiful girl looking out over the crowd. I just wanted to drink her in. She was the light in my life. She had made me a whole man again, not just a father, not a widower, she made me, me again.

I had started moving towards Bella and the deck when I spotted him. He was there behind her, just as her eyes met mine. I ran, closing the distance between us and drawing attention from everyone.

She had just turned around when I made it to her side. "What are you doing here, Jake? You aren't supposed to be here until next weekend."

I moved behind Bella, drawing her to my chest. "Are you alright, love?" I was glaring at Jacob, but he hadn't even noticed my approach.

"I had to see you, Bells. Before everything became final, I had to see you." He moved to touch her arm, but I moved us out of his range. Only then did he acknowledge my presence."

"Cullen." His eyes were taking in our proximity to each other, the way I held Bella, her hands over mine, with out fingers entwined.

"Jacob, I think it would be better if you left now. Please don't ruin the party for Bella and our friends."

"I want to see Riley, Bella. Where is he?" I felt her stiffen and I was ready to remove him one piece at a time if necessary.

"Riley is asleep and you can't see him. Please, Jake, go back to your father's. I'll call you tomorrow and we'll talk then." Bella was trying to get him away from the party without a scene. Charlie walked over to us.

"Jake, I told you to leave twenty minutes ago. This is not the time or the place for this. Bella and Edward have asked you to go, so do it now, son. I'd hate to have to take you down to the station, but I will. I'll bring Billy home later, so you head on out."

For a minute it looked like he would argue. Bella looked back at me and I loosened my hold on her. "Go, Jake," she whispered. "Let me call you tomorrow, ok? I'll meet you somewhere to talk."

She wouldn't be alone wherever it was. "Bella…"

She wrapped her arms around my waist. "I'll be fine, Edward. Jake's not going to hurt me. You'll have Riley to take care of at home."

"I can take care of you both, love, just let me."

Jacob looked at me, there was sadness in his eyes along with anger, at me or at himself, I wasn't sure. "Ok, I'll go. I didn't mean to interrupt your party."

Everyone around us visibly relaxed the moment Jake drove away. Bella was shaking.

"Love, are you alright?" I felt her nod against my chest.

"Yes, it was just unexpected." Charlie looked at us, smiling sadly. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I didn't know he was in town yet. I never would have invited Billy to come if I knew Jake would come with him."

"It's alright, Dad, don't worry. I'm ok." She looked at me, saying, "Can we go inside for a little while. I just need to be quiet."

I looked over to Charlie. "Tell everyone to enjoy themselves and that we'll be back out a little later." Charlie kissed Bella's cheek, nodding. "Sure, take care of my girl. We'll handle everything out here."

I followed Bella into the house, locking the door behind me. I turned to reassure myself she was alright, but found myself pushed against the door with Bella attacking my mouth.

After the initial shock wore off I wrapped her in my arms and greedily returned the kiss.

My body was at war with my brain. I knew we should be talking, but the way Bella moved against me drove away every thought but the one that said to get inside her as quickly as possible. She was wild, pulling at my clothes, trying to press closer together.

We broke the kiss long enough to remove our shirts. "Bella, baby, we need to slow down."

She cried out, whether in sorrow or frustration I do not know. "Please Edward, I need you." It wasn't possible to deny her anything.

"It's alright, love. We're ok. Let's go upstairs." I swept her into my arms and took the stairs at a run. I laid her on the bed and stepped back to remove my jeans as she removed the rest of her clothes.

I watched her sprawled across the bed, waiting for me. My body protested the distance between us as she rubbed her thighs together, seeking some form of friction to ease her ache. I crawled up the bed, nudging her legs apart and settling between her thighs, in my happy place.

I felt her hands running along my back, pulling me closer. Trailing kisses along her collarbone and up her neck, I reveled in the taste of Bella. I was so close to losing control, yet I wanted to make sure she was as satisfied as I was. Her breasts were made for my hands, the feel of her nipples tightening due to my touch, drove me crazy. I wanted to taste every inch of her, but knew it would have to wait.

I felt the urge to mark her, make her realize that no one else would ever touch her, she was mine and I was hers. I took her mouth in a searing kiss as my hand left her breast to trail down her stomach to the heat that was emanating from her sex.

"Who do you belong to, Bella?"

Her eyes flashed and darkened with desire. "You."

"Who touches you like this?" I cupped her heat, making her shudder.

"Just you, Edward."

I drove two fingers into her moist heat and circled her nub with my thumb. She arched off the bed whimpering my name. I felt her walls clench around my fingers as she came, and continued to pump them in and out of her, extending her orgasm. As she came down from the high, she opened her eyes and I saw my Bella looking at me. Her eyes shining with all the love we had for each other.

"And who makes you come like that?" I whispered, kissing first her nose and chin, then her lips.

"Only you, Edward, my…" Her breath caught as I thrust into her. I tried to slow my pace, but with my control now gone, I pounded into her. I knew I was close, but I wanted her to come again. I shifted so I could rub her clit and give her the extra sensations to push her over the edge. She screamed my name as she came that time and with a few more thrusts I followed her over. My orgasm seemed to go forever, until I collapsed onto her. I quickly rolled to the side so not to crush Bella with my weight.

"I love you, Bella, only you." I kissed her then went to stand to go to the bathroom and dispose of the condom. It was only then that I realized that in the frenzy to come together, we had not used one. I turned back to her, hating to break our bubble.

"Bella…" Her smile was dazzling. I knew I needed to tell her because I wasn't sure how she'd feel about another baby so soon. "Love, I um… forgot a condom."

**BPOV**

After two mind-blowing orgasms I was feeling very loose and pretty invincible. When Edward mentioned we had not used a condom, I really wasn't concerned. Was I ready for another baby so soon after Riley? No. Did I want us to wait until after we were married to expand our family? Yes, hopefully. Would I regret it if we had just conceived another child? No, because the baby would be part of us, our love. It would be another surprise, certainly, but never something to regret or get rid of.

I had learned from Rose that Todd was her OB/GYN and she was very comfortable with him, so when we spoke earlier in the day, he agreed to take me on as a patient and called his service to arrange an appointment for a checkup, so I had a doctor in place regardless.

Edward was looking at me with such an uncertain look in his eyes. "It's alright, Edward. I have an appointment in two weeks with Todd to get the birth control shot. I'll have blood work run before to make certain and if I am, I am, but I am pretty certain it's the wrong time of the month for it to happen. I'm not going to worry about it, unless you don't want more…" He got back into the bed and pulled me into his arms. "Anytime, love. I just don't want to rush you."

We stayed there in the bed, just holding each other, knowing our time was limited and we needed to return to the party and our guests.

"Are you alright now, love? I know that Jacob showing up got to you. We're okay now, you're fine and Riley is fine, we have our family and friends right outside. Nothing will ever come between us again." His gaze was locked on mine, willing me to believe him. I did, but was also aware that Jake could hurt us.

"He can though, Edward. Jake can still hurt us."

"How, Bella? How can Jake possibly hurt us? He's lost you and your divorce will be final in ten days. You'll be free of him and we'll be free to move on together."

I sat up, reaching for clothes. As I started to dress, pulling on everything but my shirt that was downstairs, I told him my fears.

"Yes, the hearing is in ten days, but if Jacob really wanted to hurt me he could delay the judge's ruling. All it would take is a call to his lawyer to file a motion and the judge could be forced to reschedule the hearing and that could take several more weeks or months to get back on the docket. I want it over. All I want is to belong to you. I want our family to be whole."

Edward pulled his jeans on then walked over to me, putting his hands on my shoulders, turning me to look at him. "Yes, Bella, he could do that, but do you think it changes anything? I would rather you be free of him now, but if it's delayed a few weeks or a month, it doesn't change how I feel. It won't change our family. Besides I don't see how the judge would delay the ruling and finalization. You and Jake signed the papers, everything was already worked out. You didn't ask for _anything_ from him in the divorce, no spousal support or proceeds from the sale of the house, nothing. Riley is ours and Jake has no claim to him, so that won't be a factor. Worst case scenario is that we have to wait a few more weeks before I make you mine permanently. I want you to realize that we are forever, love. You will be free from Jake, but I don't intend for you to be a single woman for very long. I want the world to know you are mine."

Edward knew just what to say to settle my nerves about Jake, and what he said set off new ones, tingling butterflies in my stomach, excited at the thought of being Edward's permanently.

"We better get back outside, we've been gone a while and I'd hate for Charlie to try to come find us." I went into the bathroom to repair the damage to my hair and washed my face before we walked downstairs. We were just heading out the door when I heard Riley call for me. "Mammaa…Mammaa" We both turned and walked back to his room. Our sweet little boy was bouncing on his mattress holding onto the railing.

"Up", he said as he reached for me. I carried him over to the changing table as Edward got a fresh diaper and new outfit as Riley's pants were wet. "I'll change him while you get him a bottle, Bella." So I left the boys and went to poor some apple juice into a sippy cup for Riley.

Edward walked him out and Riley was now in jeans and a long sleeved hoodie with sunglasses and a baseball hat. "He's too cute, but I don't think he's going to need the shades, Edward, the sun isn't out."

"No, but he looks like the cool little boy that he is." Charlie and Billy were sitting together on the back deck.

Dad reached for Riley as we walked over to them. "Here's my boy. Bella he's really growing fast." I just smiled at him. Billy looked over at me and started to apologize.

"I'm really sorry, Bella. I didn't even think about Jake bringing me. I guess it's still difficult to believe that you two aren't together any longer. I apologize for not checking with you before bringing him."

Edward squeezed me a little tighter to his side. "It's ok, Billy. I know you didn't do it to hurt me. It was just a surprise. Jake told me he wasn't coming in until next weekend."

"He called and said he needed to come sooner, there was some news and that he needed to talk to you in person." He was looking over at Riley and I could see the hurt and longing in his face. I looked at Edward and he nodded at me, as if he could read my thoughts. "Its fine, love, I don't mind." I took Riley from Dad and placed him in Billy's arms. "I don't want to take him from your life, Billy. I know you love Riley as much as Dad does and there is no reason for Riley to lose that."

Edward and I sat with them for several minutes, then checking that Dad and Billy would be fine watching Riley, we walked back down to the yard to visit with friends. Apparently Alice had sent an invitation to Mike and Jessica Newton and they had arrived while Edward and I were occupied inside. They were talking to Eric and Todd as we walked over.

Edward was glaring at Mike, but it was Jessica that spoke up. "It's a great party, Bella. Thank you for inviting us. Edward, it's good to see you."

"Well we wanted everyone to celebrate our happiness." I ran my hand along Edward's lower back hoping to soothe him.

"Bella, where is that adorable son of yours? You and Edward certainly make beautiful babies."

"Well its baby for now, Todd. If you and Eric want to see him, you'll have to talk his Grandpa into it. Dad and Billy are watching Riley right now."

I saw Rose sitting in a chair near Emmett, who was still working the grill. "Let's go check on Mama Rose. She's been pretty quiet today." We excused ourselves and after a quick kiss, Edward walked over to Em as I pulled a chair up beside Rose.

"Are you feeling alright, Rose?" She looked a little pale.

"Yeah, I've been having Braxton Hicks a lot today." She only had about 6 weeks left, but I knew she'd been uncomfortable lately.

"Did you tell Todd?" She nodded, "He told me to rest and if they started to come regularly to call him. So Em sat me in this chair and won't let me move unless it's to go to the restroom." I remembered those days from my pregnancy with Riley. If I even felt a twinge Jake would make me lie on my side until it passed.

I felt physically sick that I had made Edward miss all of that, and that caused my anger with Jake to spike yet again. I knew talking everything out with Jacob would be hard, but I hoped he would be truthful with me. I really didn't want the whys of what he did, but I wanted him to come clean about it all.

Edward was worried about my meeting with Jake, but I wasn't worried about my safety, I worried about Edward and what he would do to Jake if anything happened.

I would call Jake tomorrow and ask him to meet me at the diner. It would be a neutral place, it's public and there would be others there to ease Edward's mind. I wanted Edward and the girls to be safe at the house and taking care of Riley. I was not planning to let him see the baby at all, but I wanted to clear the air with Jake before anything else happened.

I was worried Jake would try to delay our divorce, but Edward was right, what's the possibility of a few weeks delay, when we will have the rest of our lives together. We are a family and will be a family forever.

As for Jake, I'll take a leaf from Scarlett O'Hara's book, "I'll think about it tomorrow."

O~O~O~O~O

**AN: So the next chapter will be the big confrontation/conversation between Bella and Jacob.**

**Thanks for taking the time to read, please leave a review.**


	24. Chapter 24

_**AN: It's time for Jacob to tell the truth. It's a shorter chapter but the next one will be longer.**_

_**Stephenie Meyer created the wonderful Twilight world, I'm just playing with her characters. No copyright infringement intended.**_

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 23

**EPOV**

When Bella told me that she'd arranged to meet Jacob at the diner, alone, I was livid.

"Edward, everything will be fine. The diner will be full from the lunch crowd. Nothing will happen to me there."

Did she really not understand that she and Riley, along with my daughters, were everything to me? I don't care that there is some reason he says he needs to speak to her, after what he did…he's not going to be alone with her.

"Bella, love, I want to be there. Kate and Irina can watch Riley while we go into town. I deserve a chance to confront him as well."

She was worrying her bottom lip between her teeth before saying, "I'm afraid if you go, you'll hear something that will cause you to lose it with him."

Was she actually worried I'd hurt the bastard? "Bella, I won't kill him." She wrapped her arms around me and looked up. "I'm not worried about him. I just don't want to give him anything he could hurt you with. If you hit Jake, he could press charges, causing trouble for you."

"Don't worry about me. I'm going today, I have a right to be there with you and I need to be there for you." For a moment she looked like she was going to argue further, but then just nodded.

"Alright."

Bella called Charlie to let him know our plans for the afternoon. It was Charlie's added support for me to go with her that finally had her relaxing.

"Bella, after everything you both have been through, Edward needs to be there not just for you, but to drive home the reality of what Jacob did to him."

My love was conflicted and worried, worried about everyone but herself. Bella finished getting ready as I went over things with the girls. We wouldn't be gone long and both Kate and Rini would take care of Riley. We were to meet Jake just before noon at the diner.

Bella and I arrived first, so we sat at a table towards the rear of the dining room. I wanted a table as it would be less confining, Bella had other ideas. She moved the chairs so she was seated beside me on one side, facing the door.

Brandi came over and took our drink orders, neither of us felt like eating. "Everything will be fine, love. We'll talk to him then go home get the kids and take them somewhere. You'll feel better with a little family time. I forgot to tell you, Jenks called and has a list of things for us to do to get the ball rolling to change Riley's birth record."

This news gave us a much needed distraction and I briefly went over having to get a paternity test to have written proof that I was indeed Riley's father. The only disheartening information was that it would not be a "quick fix". Jenks informed me that after all the paperwork had been filed it could take as long as seven months to a year for the change to take effect.

As we were talking everything over, the bell on the diner's door chimed, and in walked Jacob Black.

**BPOV**

As Edward and I were waiting for Jake, he started telling me about his plans to file for an amendment to Riley's birth record. I was so excited that we were at this point. I knew California law would require him to take a paternity test, but when Edward said it would take seven months before the change was made, I was sorry again that I didn't list him when I was given a chance. Jake found out what I had done when the official copy arrived at our house by mail. At that point he was already aware of everything, but it was more salt in his wounds. I had felt bad for hurting him, but I knew now that he had always known.

The chime of the door drew my attention and I saw Jake standing just inside the doorway.

Jacob walked into the diner and scanned the room until he spotted me. He looked shocked to see Edward sitting next to me at the table, but continued to walk over.

"I wasn't expecting to see you, Cullen. Bella, I thought this was going to be a private conversation."

I felt Edward tense and gently squeezed his thigh, trying my best to soothe him. "Sit down, Jake. Edward is here because there are things we both deserve to hear from you."

Jacob sat down and looked at the both of us. "Where do you want me to start?"

I was about to begin when Edward leaned forward. "I don't know, Jake, why don't you start at the point you really learned about Bella and I. Then maybe you could explain why you felt it was your right to keep me from _my _son."

We had just started and already Edward was about to lose his cool.

Jake's eyes flashed. "Really you want to start there? What about the fact that you slept with _my_ _wife_? I've loved Bella since we were in grade school. We were each other's firsts in everything."

Oh God…Oh God…this is going to be bad, really, really bad. I was trying to hold Edward in place with my hand on his leg, but he was already rising. "You son of a bitch, the only reason you were her first is because you practically raped her after her prom. You got her so drunk she didn't know where she was. She called me sounding so scared. You gave her nightmares for a week after that."

Edward was up, pulling me beside him, "We can't do this here. I don't want to give the population of Forks a show." He threw money on the table to cover our drinks and a tip before leading me outside and pulling me into his arms.

"I'm sorry, love. I guess I lost my cool in there, but it's time everything was laid on the table." Jake came out a few minutes later, looking like he was trying to calm his own temper.

We all walked over to a table that sat in the shade from the diner.

"Jake, you lied to me, you lied to Edward. I know I hurt you, but when I came up here while Mom was in the hospital, we were separated. We had already spoken to a lawyer about starting our divorce proceedings…why would you go to such extreme measures to keep us both locked into a marriage that was unsalvageable? I want to know when you found out and who told you?"

Jake looked broken as he sat down. "Bells, you have to understand, when you left to come up here…when Renee was so ill…I thought by the time you were home we'd be ok again. My Dad called me after stopping over at the hospital one afternoon."

"I never saw Billy there. Why didn't he ever say anything to me?" Edward squeezed my hand, offering me his never ending support.

"Dad was just arriving at the hospital as you were leaving with _him_. He knew you hadn't seen him and was surprised by what he saw. We weren't really speaking at the time, Bells, and I knew how you felt about him. You've always loved him in a way you were never able to love me. I knew then that whatever we had was over. I was so angry. I wanted to hurt you both as much as I had been hurt. So I told a few lies. I figured if you discovered the truth I hadn't really lost much, but I wanted to find a way to make you stay. With the history you two had, I knew I could play on that. All I really needed was a week or two if silence for you to believe what I was telling you. I used your phone and called Cullen's house. I told him you were pregnant and that we were working everything out. I programmed your phone and got his brat to do the same to his and after that it was simple. Imagine my surprise when you actually were pregnant. There was a glimmer of hope that you were carrying our baby, but after that doctor's appointment, I knew it wasn't."

My jaw had dropped long ago and I could feel Edward shaking with his anger. "Do you realize how much damage you have done, Jake? You took advantage of a vulnerable CHILD. Irina had already been lied to by someone that was supposed to be her family and love her unconditionally. Then you lie to her and bring her into your game…I could almost forgive you for whatever you did to keep me apart from Edward, but I will never be able to forgive that. I loved Irina from the moment I met her, I only ever wanted to help her, but you made it easy for her to hate me and make her father miserable. I tried for so long to be the kind of wife you wanted and needed, I'm sorry that I could never give you my whole heart, but I didn't have it to give." I had to move around, I couldn't sit still having this conversation. Edward was looking at me, concern evident in his eyes. I stood in front of Jacob and continued what I was saying.

"You know we were miserable, and it would have been wrong to bring a baby into that. Maybe it was God that prevented us from conceiving. Though I never would have regretted a child from you, to bring a child into a marriage for the sake of saving it would have been an even bigger mistake."

Edward walked over to me, pulling me back and into his arms. "As horrible as it would have been to you, I wish I had just remained here and asked you to send my things. Maybe then things would have been different for both of us, for Irina, and I know Edward and I … I've caused so much hurt. I'm sorry, Jake. I never wanted to hurt you. You were my best friend for so long, and I should have kept it like that. I knew… hell you knew, what my feelings were for Edward. You were the one to tell me." All of my old insecurities came back. I knew deep down I was the root of all the problems that have occurred.

"Bella, love, look at me." Edward whispered in my ear. "We are together now. Everything is as it should have been. This wasn't your fault. You and I made mistakes, but we never set out to purposely hurt anyone. That's what Chelsea and Jake did. Jake wanted to hurt us because he felt betrayed and he didn't want to lose you."

Jake was watching us closely. I could see it the moment he truly understood the depth of feeling that Edward and I had.

"Yes, Bells, that's what I did. I didn't think it out in the long term. I only wanted you with me. I never thought about what keeping you and Riley from Edward would do to you both. I am sorry I hurt you."

"Sorry doesn't really cut it, Jacob. I know if you had told me that you were in love with someone else I would have let you go and I would have been happy for you. You knew during my pregnancy and said nothing to me. Instead I felt worthless because I thought the man I loved had moved on and forgotten about the promises we made to each other. Even if that had been true and he'd found someone else, you denied him the right to know his son. I would have told Edward regardless and he'd have been there for the baby even if we weren't together. I will be trying to make up that lost time to him for the rest of our lives."

**EPOV**

I had been watching Jacob as Bella had her say. When she mentioned being happy for him and letting him go if he had found someone, his eyes changed. I wondered if this had anything to do with the reason for his visit in the first place.

Bella had fallen back into blaming herself for everything, but I couldn't let her. This was an open wound in our relationship that was taking time to heal. We had both made so many mistakes, me more than her, and its something we'd be dealing with for some time to come.

"Sweetheart, it's not necessary. We have to move forward and stop looking back so much." I looked over at Jake. "You said there was something you needed to tell Bella, do it now so we can get back to our children."

He looked up at us and just blurted out, "I'm going to be a father."

Bella didn't look shocked at all. "The girl you've been seeing? Is she the same one you went to while I was pregnant?"

Jacob looked shocked, "You knew?" My girl just shook her head laughing. "How could I not know Jake? After I shut you down completely, you stopped trying. You started spending longer hours at "work" then stopped coming home. I didn't care; I wanted you to find someone to make you happy."

"Nessa…that's her name, and yes we met couple of months after you came home. I didn't expect it to happen, wasn't looking for a relationship but I love her. She told me when you left that she was pregnant. That's why I wanted to keep the nursery. I just needed to come here to apologize and try to make you understand. I know now that we weren't meant to last. I think we needed to go this road though, because it brought me her."

He stood and walked over to us.

"Be happy Bella, and I see he makes you happy." I held Bella closer to me.

"So the hearing for the finalization of the divorce is next week, do I need to be there, Jake?" Bella asked.

"No, I'm not going to contest it, as a matter of fact I'm taking Nessa away for the week following the hearing and we're getting married. I'm selling the house Bells and even though you said you wanted nothing, I'm giving you half of the money. Do what you want with it, or put it in trust for Riley, just take it."

Not long after that, Bella and I drove back to the house. "So what will you do with the money?"

She turned her head to look at me as she said, "I don't want it. Maybe you could have Jenks put it into the Pacific Northwest Trust and give it to some other deserving college student." She looked at me with a smirk on her face.

"You are the one that arranged for the Trust to pay for Stanford, aren't you? I guess if I had put more thought into researching where the money was coming from I might have realized it was you before now."

I took her hand, hoping I wasn't about to be on the receiving end of her wrath. "I drove you away from a full scholarship. I had to make sure you were ok at school and could concentrate on studying and not worrying about how to pay for tuition."

"I love you for that. And I want to help someone else, someone that didn't have you to protect them."

She was truly a remarkable woman, my Bella.

We spent the rest of the day with the kids. Bella packed a bag for Riley and had Kate and Irina gather a couple of blankets, sunscreen and a change of clothes. We were going to the park and afterwards we were going to dinner, spending time as a family. Bella had filled her father in on our meeting with Jacob, and I knew she was much more relaxed knowing that there would be no delay in the divorce becoming final.

After the announcement that he was getting married, I started making plans for making Bella mine forever. I needed to talk to my daughters and as we got ready to go out for the day I asked them for a Daddy/Daughter day the next weekend. Bella thought it was a great idea and Kate and Irina were excited about it.

It was time to start planning our future.

O~O~O~O~O~O

_**So, the confrontation with Jake wasn't as explosive as I thought it would be, but things were said that needed to be. I know it was a short chapter, but the next one will be longer.**_

_**Let me know what you think. Was it too easy?**_


	25. Chapter 25 Fathers and Daughters

_**Stephenie Meyer created the world and characters of Twilight. I just borrowed the characters, no copyright infringement intended.**_

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 24

Fathers and Daughters

**BPOV**

With Halloween just a few days away, I spent most of the time I wasn't working or sleeping, shopping with Alice. Kate and Brady are planning to attend the dance ant the high school, Irina is going to the bonfire at First Beach with Jared and his boyfriend as well as a few friends from school. Alice and I had been trying to find appropriate costumes for the girls that wouldn't raise Edward's blood pressure. We were also planning a small gathering at the McCarty house for Halloween night.

After the barbecue, when she had started contracting, Rose was placed on bed rest by Todd, just to give the baby a few more weeks to develop. This had ruined Rose's plans for a Halloween party, but Emmett was not taking chances and was keeping her still. So we (Alice, Jasper, Edward, Riley and I) are invading Casa de McCarty with a Mexican Beach Fiesta themed party. We found a flowing sarong for Rose and the rest of us would be in beachwear. It was one of the weirder ideas considering the temperatures at night were starting to dip into the 40s.

As a show of support for the mom-to-be, Alice and I dropped the bomb on the guys that the party would be a 'dry' one. All drinks will be non-alcoholic. They were not pleased but knew better than to try to talk us out of it.

Edward had been wonderful. After everything that happened at the party then with Jacob, I thought for sure he'd try to rip Jake's head off for some of the comments made at the diner. My father wasn't as reserved in his reactions as Edward. After I told him that Billy had been the one to give Jake the information about me meeting with Edward in Seattle and that he'd known from the beginning, Charlie lost his calm, laid back 'Small Town Police Chief Persona' and turned on his best friend.

He's not speaking to Billy now, but we've all heard from Sue that Jake is pressuring Billy to move to California to live with him.

O~O~O~O~O

"Hey Bella…let's check out that costume shop around the corner for Katie's costume."

I had met Alice in Port Angeles on Wednesday afternoon to finish our shopping. We had almost all of the party supplies; we really just needed our costumes. For us that meant new bathing suits and some sort of cover up, for the guys- Riley included, it meant new board shorts and t-shirts. I really wanted to find matching outfits for Edward and Riley, thinking they'd be adorable.

Irina had been easy to dress for Halloween. She was crazy about _Grease_, both the movie and the musical, so we found a cute 50's 'Sandy' cheerleader costume and will pull her blonde hair up into a high ponytail. Katie wasn't so easy, after an hour I gave up and called Kate asking her to be ready to leave school the next afternoon to drive up here and look with me. She asked if we could bring Brady as well, I agreed and we made plans.

Alice still shopped like a mad woman and I was ready to drop after another hour picking out bikinis and shorts for the guys. Mission accomplished though. I found navy board shorts for both Riley and Edward that had white piping on the legs; Riley would wear it with a white t-shirt, Edward a muscle shirt. Alice even found cute little Baby Wayfarer sunglasses that matched his dad's along with matching baseball caps.

"They are going to be all kinds of adorable, you know." She said as we paid and gathered our bags. Just thinking about them made me ache to speak to Edward.

He and Mrs. Cope were watching Riley and I couldn't help but check on my boys regularly.

_E~ Your Sister is killing me. We've been to 10 stores this afternoon. Thankfully I think we're almost finished. Miss u! ~B_

_B~ Love, just go with it, she'll tire out eventually just don't give her sugar or caffeine. Hurry home, Ry's almost down for his nap and I am lonely ;) ~E_

I'm convinced the man is trying to kill me. He's been planning a weekend away for just the two of us after Thanksgiving and has been whispering everything he wants to do when there is no one around to hear us. At this rate I may not make it three more weeks.

After loading everything into our cars, Alice left to meet Jasper for dinner and I headed home to Forks and my boys. Edward was standing on the front porch with Riley on his hip, as I drove up to the house. I could hear Riley squealing for me as I grabbed only the bags with our costumes, leaving the rest to take to Em's house later.

"Mammaaa….Mammaaa. Up! Mammaa up!"

I rushed up the stairs, taking Riley into my arms and covering him in kisses, before reaching up for an Edward kiss. "Mmm, missed you."

Edward laughed, "I can tell, love. We missed you too. Riley's been asking for Mamma all day."

"He's picking up more words…soon he's going to be saying full sentences." I kissed Riley's sweet chubby cheeks again.

"You're growing up so fast, sweet boy. Were you good for Daddy today? I bet you were."

"Daddaa, Mammaa, Daddaa"

Edward took my bags as we walked back into the house.

"He's already eaten and had his bath. We were waiting for you before putting him down for the night." The house was unusually quiet for a weeknight.

"Where are Kate and Irina? Shouldn't they be upstairs playing their music too loud or talking to friends on the phone instead of studying? It's too quiet in here."

Edward nodded in agreement, "Yeah, but they were invited over to the Snow's house tonight for a sleep over and to watch some concert on cable. They wanted to watch it with their friends so I agreed. I figured we could find something to keep us busy." He grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Oh really? Well then we need to get this little one to bed then don't we, Daddy?"

We managed to keep each other occupied well into the night. I reluctantly dragged myself from Edward's embrace and our warm bed early the next morning. Charlie had asked that Riley and I meet him for breakfast before his morning shift at the station, so with a gentle kiss to his lips I left Edward sleeping and got myself and Riley ready to meet Grandpa.

We arrived at the diner at the same time Charlie did. "There's my little man. How's Grandpa's boy?"

"Paa...paa."

"Morning Dad, don't I get a kiss too?" He flushed a little and gave me a one armed hug and kiss on the head.

"Morning, baby girl, sorry, I just miss seeing Riley in the mornings."

We sat down at a booth and ordered our breakfast while I gave Riley some cheerios and applesauce.

"So what brought on this early breakfast, Dad?" He looked tired and I knew it was more than an early schedule that caused it.

"I'm so sorry, Bells. I feel responsible for Billy tipping Jake off about your relationship with Edward." All of this was wearing on him, I knew.

"No, Dad…you didn't know anything about it. You are not responsible in any way, for Billy's actions. I just wish he had confronted me at the time, I could have straightened him out about everything and at least we would have known then. Billy made his own decisions, Edward and I don't blame you at all."

Charlie ate his breakfast while I fed Riley. After he was full and I had cleaned him up, Riley sat in his grandpa's lap while I ate. "So what's next for you, Bells? I know you've got that get together at the McCarty's and I'm going to be keeping an eye on the high school during the party, Friday. I don't want you and Edward to worry about Katie getting hurt there. Sue's son Seth and his best friend will be monitoring the younger kids at the bonfire as well, so Irina will be safe, too."

He was blushing again when I looked up at him. "Oh, Dad...It means so much to me, and Edward that you worry about Kate and Irina, too. It's nice to know you are looking out for them."

There was a soft smile crossing my father's mouth. "I feel like I'm not just Riley's grandfather, but the girls' grandfather as well. They are good kids and are crazy about you and Riley. They are my family now, too, you know."

Charlie cleared his throat and then shot a pointed look my way. "You and Edward are taking about the future, commitment and all, right?" His blush deepened to a maroon. "And you are being safe, right? I mean as much as I love Riley, I'd rather you be a Mrs. Cullen before any other little Cullens come along."

I felt my face heat. "Yes, Dad, we're covered there. Edward and I have just been waiting for my divorce from Jake to become final, which it will be on Monday, before moving ahead."

Charlie's eyes got big. "Really? So I can expect a visit from Ed before too much longer?"

As Brandi left our check, Dad grabbed for his wallet to pay, then stood up, passing Riley back to me. "I don't see you enough, baby girl. Can we arrange a time for just us to get together each week?"

I smiled at him, nodding, as we walked out the door. "That would be great, Dad. What about meeting for breakfast, just you and me, once a week? But, I also want you to join us for dinner a couple of nights a week as well. I want you included in our family dinners."

Charlie's face lit up at the mention of family dinners. "Sure thing, Bells. I love you, kid, and I'm just so damn proud of the woman you've become." I let Riley give his grandpa a sloppy kiss on the cheek before giving Dad a hug.

"Be safe, Daddy. I love you!"

"You, too, baby girl, I'll talk to you later. Love you."

He waved to us as he climbed into the cruiser and drove away.

Just as I finished strapping Riley into his car seat my cell phone began to ring. "Morning, love," Edward's sleep roughened voice greeted me as I answered. "You left so early this morning. How is Charlie?"

"He's alright, wants us to start meeting for breakfast once a week. I guess I really have been neglecting my father lately. I've also issued an open invitation to dinner at our house, whenever he wants. I don't want him to feel lonely and left out." I could hear Edward chuckling quietly over the phone.

"What?"

"Nothing, love, it's nice that you invited him, he's more than welcome for dinner or whatever, anytime. It's just that I don't think he'll be over all the time or as much as you think he'd be, from what I heard at the barbecue." He was still laughing.

"Why's that?"

"Well from what I heard, your father has a girlfriend or lady-friend. He's been seeing Sue Clearwater for a while."

Really…Sue, I wonder why Charlie had never brought it up. I'd have to ask him the next time I spoke to him.

"Bella, love, are you alright? Did I upset you by saying that?"

"No sweetheart, I'm ok. I guess I just hadn't thought about that happening. Sue's a good woman and had been a friend of both of my parents. I'm ok with it, if they really are dating."

I told Edward I would be home in a couple of minutes and hung up the phone. Riley was talking up a storm in the backseat.

"Hey buddy, we're almost home. You get to spend the day hanging out with Daddy again while Mommy helps Auntie Rose and then takes Katie shopping."

Shelly was waiting just inside the door as we walked in. She immediately scooped Riley from my arms to give him kisses and cuddles. "I was wondering where you two had gotten off to."

"Morning, Shelly. We had an early morning meeting with Grandpa Charlie, didn't we little man." I felt Edward approaching before he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Mmm, you smell like pancakes and syrup." He nibbled on my earlobe as he reached out to tickle Riley's tummy.

"Good morning, love." I turned in his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him down for a long lazy kiss.

"You taste like syrup, too! Yummy." I just laughed at him, "Is that a hint, baby? You want me to make you pancakes for breakfast?"

He flashed that killer grin of his at me. "Well…if you are offering, sure."

I just reached up and pulled him back down for another kiss and then pushed him away, giggling. "Come on, Romeo. Let's get you fed."

I whipped up a stack of pancakes for Edward and as he ate I set the extras I made on a rack to cool, and then placed them in a freezer bag. I was just closing the door to the freezer when Edward asked what I was doing.

"Riley loves to snack on my pancakes and since I had the extra batter I made a few to freeze so he can have them later." I walked over and joined Edward at the breakfast bar. We could hear Riley playing in the den under Shelly's watchful eye.

"He's so happy here, Edward. Thank you for that." He leaned over and gave me a syrupy kiss, "No, thank you, love." It was nice to just sit and enjoy a peaceful morning together.

After he finished, Edward walked around the bar and cleaned his dishes. "So what's on the agenda for today, Bella?"

"Well I'm expected over at Rose's in a couple of hours to help her out until Kate and Rini get out of school. Before that I'm here working on one article. I know you have work that needs to be done, so I'm going to keep Riley and myself occupied and out of your hair the rest of the morning."

He walked back around the bar, taking my shoulders in his hands. "Hey, I like having you in my hair. This is your home, too. Work on your article then bring Riley up to the studio until you need to leave. I can work with both of you there. You are my muse after all, my happiness."

~O~O~

Shelly kept an eye on Riley while I edited the article I had planned on as well as two others that were in my inbox. After emailing them back to the reporters, I closed out my laptop and decided to take Riley out to the yard to run off some of his energy, before going up to the studio. He toddled around the yard, picking the few remaining wildflowers that withstood the late October weather in Forks. It was nice just to enjoy time with him. It was easier than I ever thought to picture all of us out here, in the backyard, a few years from now.

I could see Edward chasing Riley around, maybe with a dog or two. Kate and Irina would sit with their boyfriends just hanging out. Maybe there would even be a baby in a swing.

It felt surreal; I couldn't believe that I was finally getting what I had always wanted.

"Hey… I thought you were going to bring him up?" I looked over my shoulder to see Edward looking down at us from the deck.

"I wanted to give you a little more time and maybe tire him out for you, before I left."

Riley saw his daddy and headed for the steps.

"Wait a minute Champ. I'm coming."

I walked over to where Riley was trying to negotiate the first step, just as Edward reached us.

"I guess we are going to need a gate for this staircase as well." Edward picked up Riley and we walked back up the stairs and into the house. I locked the door before following the boys up to the studio. Edward stopped to wash Riley's hands and I grabbed a change of clothing and a few diapers before walking into the studio.

"Ok, back to work, sweetheart. I'll change Ry, you start playing." I loved to hear Edward work on new music, especially as he was trying to break the piece down for the various instruments in the orchestra.

It didn't take long for Riley to fall asleep, so I put him down in the playpen Edward kept beside the sofa and just relaxed as he played. I didn't even realize that I had dozed off until Edward was gently shaking me awake.

"Sorry, love, but its getting late and I know you needed to get over to Rose's by noon. She'll be expecting you."

I sat up quickly, "Oh, I really didn't mean to fall asleep. I've got to get over there, I'm making her lunch and staying until Em gets back. I'm taking Kate and Brady to that costume shop in Port Angeles, so I may not be back until dinner time."

Edward laughed, "Slow down love. Everything is alright. Riley and I will be fine and I'll ask Shelly to make dinner for us incase you run late, so we can eat when you get back. Go, and hurry back to me." He helped me up before kissing me, he never let us part with out a decent goodbye kiss.

I called Rose, as I left the house, to see if there was anything special she wanted for lunch. "God, Bella, I'm craving Nutella. I want it on everything, but I think we're out. Could you possibly pick some up on the way over?"

"Sure, how would you like stuffed crepes for lunch? I can use the Nutella with strawberry sauce and sliced bananas and berries. Does that sound good to you?"

"I'll name this child after you if you will make that."

After a quick trip through the grocery store, I made my way to Rose's house and let myself in. Rose was lying on the sofa with her legs propped up on pillows and surrounded by everything she could possibly need except for the bathroom.

"Hey, how are you feeling? Do you need to get up to use the restroom?"

She gave me a half-hearted smile. "Nah, I just went two minutes ago, though it took me 10 minutes to get up. I am so ready to just have the baby already."

I felt so bad for her, to be confined to either bed, the sofa or a chair for all but fifty minutes during the day, it had to be terrible.

"Well let me know the next time, ok? I'm going to make your lunch and you'll be happy to know I've stocked you up on Nutella. I grabbed the last five jars they had.

Fifteen minutes later I set a plate with two stuffed crepes loaded with fruit and the tasty hazelnut and chocolate spread, topped with whipped cream and strawberry juice.

"It looks fantastic, a word of advice, don't ever let Em know you can make this, he'll be at your house begging for breakfast every morning."

Alice and I had been planning to surprise Rose with the party, but after thinking it over we didn't want to cause her to go into labor, so we told her the basics. She knew we were all coming over, and that we'd informed the men that there would be no alcohol allowed that night, but that was really all. Emmett had taken Rose to Cabo San Lucas for their honeymoon, so we were bringing a little of that beach vacation to her.

"You don't need to worry about anything to do with the party Rose. It's just the six, well seven of us. You get to sit on the sofa and play with Riley while we pamper you." I let her eat while I started laundry and picked up a little. Rose protested, but she couldn't do it and Em was running himself ragged. Thankfully Carlisle and Esme would be coming on Sunday and staying for a while. We still needed to explain the cottage situation to them, but Edward wanted to wait until they were here.

It was just after 2 when Emmett burst through the door. "Honey I'm home." He bellowed. I walked out from their room just in time to see Rose throw one of throw pillows and hit him right in the forehead. "Inside voice, Em, don't scare Bella. She's been cleaning since she got here." Emmett looked up and whooped when he saw me "Bellaboo! How are you?" He grabbed me and swung me around.

"I'm great Em, but I need to run. I'm taking Katie and her boyfriend costume shopping. Em take it easy on her, she's at the point of wanting you to sit on her stomach until it pops so she can have this baby."

After quick goodbyes and assurances that we'll be ready to party the next evening, I left to pick up three teenagers at the high school.

Irina came rushing over to the car as soon as I drove up. "Kate and Brady got in trouble today, Bella. Mr. Green caught them kissing during lunch. Dad's not going to be happy when she has to serve detention next week." Oh, no. This wouldn't go well. "Um, he'll blow his top right, Rini?"

She nodded. I'd have to do something quickly; otherwise he'd put his foot down and not let Kate go to the dance.

I dialed Esme's cell number, hoping she'd give me something to work with.

"Bella dear, is everything ok?" She always had a calming effect on me. I felt the tension recede as quickly as it had come on.

"Hey Esme, we're all fine, but I think I have a situation brewing here that only you can help with. Irina just told me that Kate and her boyfriend were caught kissing at lunch and have to serve detention next week. You know your son, he's going to over react and I need to defuse this before it heats up."

There was weird sound from Esme, kind of a blend of a groan and a laugh.

"Yes, I do know Edward. How can I help?"

I just loved her. "Was Edward ever busted at school with a girl doing anything they shouldn't have been doing?"

"Hmmm, let me think a minute. Edward never really got into trouble at school, but I remember he was caught at band camp the summer before his junior year in high school. What was her name…oh, it was Susie. I remember Carlisle got a call from the camp director asking us to come pick up Edward a week early because he and Susie had been caught skinny dipping in the lake. That might help keep Katie from missing her date tomorrow, but you tell her to call me as soon as she can. I need to give her a piece of my mind about this."

"Sure thing, Esme, I'll see you Sunday with lots of new pictures of Riley and the girls from Halloween."

"See you then, Bella, love you."

"Love you too, bye."

Just as I ended the call Kate and Brady climbed into the backseat. "Bella…"

"Nope, you are going to have to tell your father, when we get home. Tell him everything that happened."

Brady looked embarrassed. "Really, Ms. Swan, I'm sorry about this. We kind of forgot where we were."

That declaration wasn't going to help their situation at all. "Look, I'm sure Edward is going to want to speak to you once we get back, but let's get this trip to Port Angeles out of the way before we deal with that."

Watching Kate and Brady on the drive up was hilarious. He'd look at her, she'd look away, she'd look at him, and he'd look away.

Thankfully we got to the store without much trouble and there wasn't a crowd. Brady found a Zorro costume he liked, essentially a black shirt, pants, cape, mask and sword. Kate however was looking at the 'princess' costumes. There were several that ranged from sluty Snow Whites to really regal Tudor era gowns. She finally settled on Buttercup's red gown from _The Princess Bride_, one of my all time favorite movies.

"Brady, lose the cape and add a black head wrap. You could be my Wesley/Dread Pirate Roberts." When he put the cape away I knew he was gone over her.

We paid the rental fees and promised to return the costumes by Sunday, then left to drive home and face the music.

After dropping Brady at home, knowing it was better that he not be in Edward's presence until it had blown over, I drove the girls back to the house.

"Rini will you take Ry up to your room until after Kate and I talk to your father? He may get a little loud over this."

"Sure, it's no problem. I don't want to be anywhere near this conversation. I could get in trouble just by association."

I knew Daddy Edward was going to over react, but I really hoped I could diffuse it a bit. I knew there would be new rules going into effect, for the girls, about dating.

"Edward?" I called as we all entered the house. "We're in the den, Bella." I knew Shelly was gone for the day, as it was almost 6 o'clock. I passed through the kitchen on my way into the den and noticed the oven was on warm. Inside was a pan of piping hot lasagna. Good, that would help his mood.

"Mammaa"

Riley walked over to me and patted my legs. "Mamma up!" His little arms were reaching for me so I picked him up and kissed his nose. "Hi, baby. Did you have fun with Daddy?"

Riley pointed to Edward saying, "Dada"

"Yes, that's Daddy. Baby, go see Rini."

I handed Riley to Irina.

"Neeee"

Irina greeted Edward before taking Riley upstairs. Edward noticed her leaving and the smile dropped from his face. "What's going on?"

I walked over and sat on the sofa beside Edward and took his hand. "Hear her out before saying anything, please?"

I knew that probably didn't help his tension level, but until Kate told her father, he'd just assume the worst.

"Daddy, I had detention at school today and I have it Monday afternoon as well."

His breath sped up, brow furrowed. "Why would you have detention, Kate?"

She walked over to stand right in front of Edward as she said, "Mr. Green caught Brady and I kissing when we were supposed to be in the cafeteria for lunch. That's all we were doing, just kissing, but it's against the school rules about PDA."

Edward looked at me. "Why didn't you call me, love."

"Sweetheart, I just wanted to think it all through, really it's not horrible. Yes they were caught kissing at school, but that's what teenagers do, I'm sure you did it, I did it, a few times, but really I wanted to wait until we were home before telling you."

He slowly stood up. "Katherine Elizabeth, what am I to do with you. I really should ground you, cancel your date tomorrow, and forbid you to see Brady."

"No, Daddy, please. I'll take the grounding, I'll…I'll miss the party, but please don't forbid me to see Brady. I care so much for him." Katie was crying and collapsed into my arms. "Please Daddy, don't. It won't happen again. I promise."

I could see Edward's resolve waver. "I'm not going to stop you from seeing him. He's a good kid, but you will have new rules to abide by when you go out. Also, after tomorrow you are on restriction for one week from Brady. No phone calls, texts, emails…nothing, understand?"

She sniffed, but nodded her head with a shaky "Yes, Daddy."

"I love you sweet girl. It's hard for me to accept that you are growing up, but there is a lot going on out in the world and you aren't ready to face it with a baby at your age."

Kate shook her head, "No, Dad I'm not and you done need to worry about that cause we aren't doing anything like that. I've got plans for my future."

Edward opened his arms and Kate flew into them. "I love you Daddy."

"Love you, too, Katie-bug."

~O~O~

That night as we lay in bed, Edward asked me again why I had waited to tell him. "Truthfully, I thought you'd lose your cool and ground her for life. It's what my dad would have done to me. Anyway, I'm glad you didn't lose it, and you were wonderful, though I am a little disappointed that I didn't get to bring up Susie the Skinny Dipper."

The shocked look on Edward's face sent me rolling with laughter. "How in the hell did you find out about that?"

I tried to calm down so I could answer him. "Es-Esme, I called her to see if she knew anything that would help diffuse the situation. She told me all about you and band camp. How _American Pie _of you, such a bad boy swimming naked with a girl and getting caught."

He laughed as he blushed. "Well at least they didn't catch us before we were in the water. If they had I would still be grounded. Susie didn't only have talent playing the clarinet, her mouth could play _other_ things as well."

Oh. My. God, I didn't need to have that visual. "Edward! I don't want to hear about some teenage girl blowing your cock."

"But baby… it didn't mean anything. I didn't know what I was missing out on until you came into my life."

"And you had another teenager giving you a blowjob. Oh boy."

He sobered up, laughter fading. "Bella, you know it wasn't like that with you. What we did meant the world."

I kissed his jaw, "I know sweetheart, and I was just kidding you. We better get to sleep; Em is going to run is all ragged tomorrow night."

The next afternoon I was taking picture after picture of Irina in her 'Sandy' costume along with Jared and Paul who dressed up like those vampires from the book series that Irina and Katie loved. Jared was wearing a long blonde wig pulled back into a pony tail and had red contacts in his eyes while Paul had sprayed a bronze/coppery color into his messy hair and had yellow contacts, whatever floats their boat I guess. We sent them off to First Beach, only after telling Irina what Dad had told me about Seth and his friends. She knew if there was trouble to find Seth and then call us.

Kate and Brady, after getting lectured by Edward, Brady's parents and Esme, were ready to head over to the gym at the school. Kate knew Charlie would be close and keeping an eye on the goings on during the party. They looked adorable in their costumes and after patiently waiting for me to take enough pictures, they too were off.

Edward looked a little sad. "They're growing up so fast."

"Baby, the girls are still really young. You've still got a few years left before Kate goes to college, and Riley hasn't even started school yet. Don't forget that."

"I won't. I want to enjoy time with them all, and any others that may come along."

I guess now would be the time to tell him. "About that, sweetheart, my period started this morning, so I guess we don't need to be…worried…about that right now."

I had been a little disappointed when I saw that I had started. I knew it wasn't the right time, but it was hard to keep the hope from flaring.

"Are you ok with that, love?" He looked at me like he knew what I was feeling.

"Yes, I mean I want to have more children with you, but really we just got back together, my divorce isn't even final until Monday, and it's just not a good time. Still I was a little sad. I know we'll get married one day, but I don't want to wait forever to have another child."

We were in our room getting ready for the party. I had just gotten Riley dressed in his t-shirt and board shorts to match Edward. When he saw that Riley was dressed as his Mini-Me, Edward's smile lit the room. I was changing into my white bikini top, but in difference to my period I wore white shorts instead of the bikini bottoms.

"Mmm, love, I love this party more each minute. You look wonderful." He took my hands and pulled me over to the bed.

"Bella, I want to make a suggestion and get your feelings on it, ok?"

I nodded, wondering where he was going with this.

"I don't want us to have to wait long after we get married to expand our family. If you go on the depo shot, doctors advise you wait 6-9 months before trying to conceive. Can you just go on birth control pills, love? Just until after we're married?"

I smiled and my chest swelled with the love I felt for this man. "Yes, definitely, I'll talk to Todd and get back on the pill until we're ready." I knew we'd be married before long, just from the way Edward was reacting.

"I can't wait for us to be ready, love."

I kissed his lips then said, "Right now we need to get ready for the party. Em is counting on a little male bonding time tonight, though I don't know how you'll do it without beer."

"We'll manage, love."

We loaded everything into the car and wrapped in our winter jackets and a blanket for Riley we headed over to Emmett and Rose's house in our beachwear. It was a balmy 45 degrees as we drove up to the house.

We had not even gotten Riley out when Em came running outside. "It's time, her water broke. I have to get her to the hospital." Edward ran inside to help Rose get to the car while I directed Em to his car.

"You alright to drive? Emmett, answer me. Are you alright to drive Rose?"

"Yeah, I'm going to be a daddy tonight." I laughed and gave him a big hug as Edward came out guiding Rose to the passenger seat. "Where's her bag?"

"It's already in the car, Bella. You guys are coming to the hospital too, right? Please?"

"Yeah Em, we'll follow you over." Edward got back into the car as I dialed first Esme and Carlisle to let them know, then Alice and Jasper, so they could meet us at the hospital.

"Em is pretty freaked out. Are you sure he's ok to drive, Edward?"

He nodded, "Yeah, something kind of takes over and makes sure you get there."

We were quite the sight walking into the hospital that night. Thankfully I was in shorts and not just a bathing suit, but still we were severely under dressed. Edward managed to get a couple of sets of scrubs for us while we waited. Alice and Jasper just went home to change before coming to the hospital.

Four hours later just before midnight, Emmett walked into the waiting room wearing the biggest smile I had ever seen.

"I've got a girl. Emmaline Belle." Everyone was congratulating Emmett and my eyes were filling with tears.

"Congratulations Papa Bear. How's Rose?"

He swung me up in an Emmett sized bear hug. "She's tired but good. Little Em's a big baby. Ten pounds, 4 ounces and 22 inches long. I've got to get back to my girls, but I just wanted to let you all know."

Edward, holding a sleeping Riley, said that we should get home. We'd all be back the next afternoon to see Rose and baby Emmaline, after they got some much deserved rest.

We passed the nursery as we left. The curtains were pulled for the night, but I still couldn't stop myself from looking over at it. Edward pulled me closer to his side, kissing my hair. "Soon, love, soon."

I couldn't wait.

O~O~O~O~O

**So what'd you think? Next chapter is Edward's day out with his daughters and Carlisle and Esme come to town. Oh yeah perhaps a little celebration of Bella's divorce, Edward Cullen style.**

**Thanks to all of you for continuing to read and review, it is appreciated greatly.**


	26. Chapter 26

_**AN: I want to welcome all the new readers. I've been bombarded with Alerts the last few weeks. **_

_**Edward talks to Kate and Irina this chapter, Carlisle and Esme are visiting, and Bella becomes a single woman.**_

_**Stephenie Meyer created the wonderful world of Twilight. She owns it all, I only own my storyline, and am borrowing her characters, using them with care. No copyright infringement intended.**_

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 25

**EPOV**

As Bella and I walked into the house, we were bombarded with questions by Kate and Irina. Bella took Riley up to put him in bed as I ushered them into the den. We had phoned both girls as we drove to the hospital following Emmett and Rose, to let them know what was going on. Bella had offered to call Shelly to ask her to meet the girls at the house, but I knew we'd be home at some point before it got too late, so putting well deserved trust in my daughters I told them to be home by 11 and that Charlie would check on them until we were able to get home.

"Dad, what did Rose have? Is the baby ok?" Kate was excited about another baby in the family.

"Did Em pass out? Is he full on baby-talking yet?" Irina wanted anything that she could tease Emmett with.

"Settle down girls. Bella is putting Riley in his room and we really don't want him to wake up right now. Rose had a girl, she weighs just over ten pounds and her name is Emmaline Belle. We weren't able to see her because it was so late, but after we all get a good night's rest we'll go see them tomorrow. Bella and I want to hear all about your nights, but let's do that in the morning when we're all more rested."

The girls took off for their rooms after giving me kisses goodnight. Bella passed them on the stairs, wished them sweet dreams, and then she met me at our bedroom door.

"Are you sleepy, love? We've got a long day tomorrow with Mom and Dad coming to town. Don't forget that I'm taking Kate and Irina to lunch tomorrow. Will you and Riley be alright entertaining my parents for a few hours?" She looked up at me and for a moment I thought she was going to whack the back of my head a la Rose and Emmett.

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, I adore your parents and have no problem 'keeping them entertained' so you can have some bonding time with Kate and Rin. Besides your mom is going to divide her time between Baby Em and Ry. I won't need to do anything but tell them about the cottage."

Oh crap! I knew there was something I was forgetting. "If you wait until tomorrow afternoon, we can take them over together and tell them. That way we can show mom the nursery set up and ask her to babysit on Tuesday when we go to the lawyer's office to file all of the paperwork to change Riley's birth certificate."

We were getting settled in bed, all the excitement of the day had us both exhausted. "When are we going in for the blood tests, baby?" She asked as she settled into my side.

"Dad pulled a few strings and we can go to the lab tomorrow morning. They are putting a rush on the results and they will have them ready for us Monday afternoon. Forks thankfully doesn't have a backlog of DNA tests to perform, so we won't have to wait."

I pulled Bella closer, and heard her quiet sigh. "What's wrong, love?"

"Nothing…"

"Sweetheart obviously there is something, what is it?"

I looked into her eyes, those deep chocolate pools that I just wanted to drown in.

"Tell me, please."

"I just wish I had listed you there in the first place. I hate that it's going to take so long for you to have your rightful place on his birth record. I could have saved us all this trouble if only I hadn't been a chicken shit. I'm so sorry, Edward." She buried her face in my chest and I could feel the wetness from her tears. I wiped them away with my thumb and nudged her chin up so I could see her face.

"Bella, love, we have to let that all go. We can't keep rehashing it over and over. I know why you did it, but it doesn't matter anymore. We have to move forward and leave that behind us. We'll talk to the lawyers, file the papers and everything will be right, it will just take a little time. Time is something we have a lot of, we have forever. If I had to I would wait forever for you, I'm just glad I don't have to."

I turned onto my side, urging Bella to roll over so I could sleep wrapped around her.

"Sleep, love, we've a long day tomorrow." I kissed her hair as I felt her relaxing and heard her breathing deepen.

"Love you, Edward." She sighed as she fell into sleep.

"Forever, love."

~O~O~O~

"Dada Dada UP!" I came awake to little pats on my face. I saw my same eyes looking back at me as I slowly opened my own.

"Morning little man. Where's Mama?" I sat up, pulling Riley with me and setting him down on the floor.

"Mammaa!" Riley took off for the closet as Bella stepped back out into the bedroom.

"Here, baby. I see you got Daddy to wake up." She was just pulling on a caramel colored sweater over dark brown leggings.

"Morning, love, you're up early." I reached for her just as she was grabbing her boots.

"Edward…we don't have time this morning. You better get moving. Kate and Irina were up two hours ago and made breakfast. They want to head over to the hospital as soon as you are ready." There was an edge to her voice this morning.

"Bella, what's going on? Despite Kate and Irina's impatience, there really is no hurry today. Mom and Dad are coming in around noon, I should be back with the girls in time for dinner with everyone, and we're going to tell them about the cottage at dinner. Take a breath love, everything is fine."

I wasn't sure why she was suddenly stressed. Perhaps her hormones were just out of whack.

"I'm sorry, baby. I really don't feel like myself lately. I guess it's just PMS. I sometimes get crazy this time of the month." Riley was pulling on Bella's legs. "Go Mamaa go go."

She laughed. "The girls have been asking to go for a while now, so he started doing that too. Get in the shower while I fix your breakfast." Bella and Riley walked out of the room as I walked into the bathroom. I decided not to worry about shaving this morning and after a quick shower I toweled off and walked into the closet to dress.

Bella had already pulled clothes for me. There were my favorite jeans, a long sleeved t-shirt and my navy sweater. After dressing I walked into the kitchen to join my noisy family.

"Is he ever going to be ready?" Irina complained.

I walked into the kitchen, right behind Irina and spoke into her ear. "Just let me get some coffee and food and then I'll be ready."

She jumped, backing into me and catching my chin with her head.

"Sorry Dad! Are you ok? Kate and I just really want to see little Emmaline."

I shook my head to clear it a bit. "I'm fine, sweetheart. Like I said just give me a few minutes to eat and then we can go. Grandma and Grandpa should be here soon."

I went to get a cup for coffee, but Bella told me to sit she had everything ready for me.

"Cheese omelet, toast and fruit…looks good, love." Riley was sitting in his highchair munching on cheerios.

"Dada…Dada" He was reaching for my plate.

"You want some, buddy?" I cut a small piece of melon and watched as he chewed it and then spit it out. "I guess you don't like cantaloupe, huh?" Bella cleared his tray and wiped his face and hands before letting him down.

"Kate, will you take Riley into the den to play while I get his bag together?" She went to pass me, but I grasped her wrist and pulled her into my lap.

"I'll be finished soon, love. Thank you for breakfast, for loving me and my crazy kids."

"Pfft, like I could help it. Eat your breakfast before it gets cold. We'll meet you outside when you're done."

I was ready to go ten minutes later. I double checked that I had everything: phone, wallet, keys, then locked the house before walking over to where Bella and the kids we all waiting in her Navigator.

We arrived at the hospital the same time as my parents. Mom immediately took Riley from Bella's arms before hugging and kissing Kate and Irina. Dad was a little more subtle in his quest for his newest grandchild. He kissed Bella's cheek, gave the girls hugs then faked my mother out. She thought he was just going for a tummy tickle for Riley, but Dad had him in his arms and lifting him up to 'fly' before my mother was even aware of it.

Bella was laughing at my mother's face. She looked like she was ready to throw a tantrum. "Why don't we head in and see if Rose is up for visitors." That distracted her enough to have her turning around and heading straight for the maternity ward.

"Why don't you and Bella head for the lab. I'll bring Riley while the girls go in to see Rose and then we can have our turn."

I nodded, taking Bella's hand and pulling her in the opposite direction. "Edward, what are you doing? Rose is the other way."

"Let's get the blood work done first. Dad has Riley and is bringing him down to take his blood sample. We can't all go in to Rose's room at once and this way they can get started on the tests and have them to us that much quicker." The only thing I hated was the way it looked for us to have a paternity test done. There was no doubt in my mind, but I could see the looks some of the techs and nurses gave us.

It was none of their business why we were having blood work done, but small towns existed for the gossip.

"I can't watch him, Edward. Every time Riley gets an immunization or gets stuck with a needle, I cringe. Please, baby. Will you hold him while they do it?"

I took Riley from Bella's arms and then wrapped my other arm around her shoulders. "You look a little green there, love. You ok?"

"No, I really can't stand the sight of blood."

"Don't worry, we'll all go together, you just look at me, and keep breathing. He'll be fine, Bella. We'll be in and out in just a few minutes then we'll go meet the newest family member."

~O~O~O~

Thirty minutes and one sniffling baby boy and mommy later, we all made our way towards Rose's room. I could hear Kate and Irina cooing over the baby from outside the door.

I pushed it open to allow Bella and Riley to enter ahead of me and Dad. Mom was sitting in a chair beside Rose's bed holding baby Em and surrounded by everyone else.

"How are you feeling, Mama Rose?" She shot me a dirty look.

"I will never be as bad as that mother from _Gypsy_. Emma is going to do whatever she wants when she's older. If she wants to dance or sing or play music or run the country, I won't care and I won't push her into anything."

Whoa. New mother hormones… how on Earth did I forget about that.

"Sorry Rosalie. I didn't mean anything." I was scared to open my mouth after that. Mom vacated the chair and let Bella sit, taking a sleeping Emmaline. Riley wanted down, so Mom offered to take him to the cafeteria for a snack and let him walk part of the way. Kate and Irina followed her so that the room wouldn't be too noisy.

Bella looked so serene holding little Em. I couldn't wait to see her with another baby. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted it, but that was another topic to broach with my daughters later in the day. I didn't think they'd be unhappy at the idea of another brother or sister, but I wanted to talk to them about it.

"She's beautiful, Rose. Emmett you're going to have to get a gun. She's too precious and looks just like her momma." Bella whispered softly, so not to disturb the baby.

"She really is lovely guys. You did well Rose. Thankfully she's all you, nothing of my oaf of a cousin in her." I pinched Em on his cheek before giving him a hug.

"Congratulations, man. She's beautiful."

We stayed and visited for another hour, but Rose was tired and needed to feed the baby, so Bella and I told them to call if they needed anything.

Mom was sitting in the waiting room with Riley and the girls when Dad, Bella and I walked over.

"Thanks for watching him, Esme. Rose is going to take a nap right now, so why don't I take you and Carlisle to lunch or back to the house to rest a while before we come back over here. Edward is taking the girls out for the afternoon, so I'm at your disposal."

Dad looked over at me and all I did was nod. He knew what I wanted to talk to the girls about. "Let's go into Port Angeles for lunch, Bella. Esme's been talking about Italian since we left home."

She quickly agreed, kissing me much too briefly for my liking, so I pulled her close, deepening the kiss. "I love you. Go have fun with Mom and Dad. By the time you're home, the girls and I will be back as well."

I gave Riley a hug and kiss saying, "Be good for Mom, buddy and take good care of her. She's a special one, Ry."

I watched as my parents left with Bella and Riley, and then turned to my girls. They stood there with goofy grins on their faces. "Pitiful, Dad, just pitiful. You can't go a few hours without Bella around, can you?"

Kate and Irina were trying to hold their laughter in, but failed.

"Sure I can, I just don't want to. However, I have the pleasure of my daughters' company all to myself today. Let's go. We still need to stop by the house to pick up some things."

Once back at the house I asked Irina to get the picnic basket from the garage while Kate went in search of the blankets that were specifically for use outside.

I walked into the kitchen and started pulling the containers of pasta and fruit salad out along with the sandwich meat and cheese that was bagged and ready to take with us. I had wanted to have the girls' undivided attention when we spoke about the future, so I planned to take them to the meadow we had discovered years before.

"So where are we going, Dad? Obviously we're having a picnic, are we going to the beach?" Irina asked as she placed the basket on the counter.

"No, I want us to go back to the meadow we found. I need to talk to you and your sister, and that was always a place where we were honest with each other."

I had just finished packing our lunch and adding the water bottles that Rin handed me, when Kate came back down with two large plaid blankets.

"It took forever to find these. They were in the upstairs guestroom closet. So where are we going?"

"We're taking a walk through the woods. You remember that meadow we found when you were little? I want to go there."

~O~O~O~

As we walked into the meadow, where we first found solace after Tanya's death, I was reminded of the first time I brought Bella here. This spot has always been a magical spot, but I had a hard time coming back here after I sent Bella away. This had always been an open and honest place, that's why Bella and I never made it here that day. I couldn't lie to her in such a special place.

"Kate, pass me the blanket and Rin, you and your sister unpack the basket, please."

Once we were all settled and had our plates filled, I broached the subject I was most excited and nervous about.

"There have been a lot of changes in our lives the last several weeks. I know we've all had things to deal with and go through, but I think we've all come out better. I wanted to ask each of you how you felt about having Bella and Riley live with us the last few weeks. Is it bothering you? Are you happy to have them there?"

Irina was looking around the meadow, a soft smile on her lips. "It's been too long since we've been here, Dad. Have you even been back since Bella left for school?"

I nodded, "I did come back once, about two years ago. It was actually just before I drove to Seattle to visit Renee Swan. I felt the need to come here, and just sat, thinking about everything that I wish I could change."

Kate passed me a bottle of water as she looked at her sister, before speaking directly to me. "You're going to ask Bella, aren't you Daddy? You want to marry her." The last was not a question, but a statement. Irina was nodding her head at me.

"I would like to ask Bella to marry me, but I first needed to get your blessing, because Bella wouldn't just be marrying me. She'd be marrying all of us. You know she loves both of you. Will both of you be alright with Bella marrying me and becoming a Cullen?"

I didn't understand why my nerves we so on edge. My daughters loved Bella, they adored their baby brother, but this was something all together different than just having a girlfriend. This move would solidify our family, make us whole, permanent, unbreakable.

I wasn't prepared to be tackled by both Kate and Irina. "When?" They asked at the same time.

"How are you going to ask her?"

"Do you have a ring?"

"Does this mean more babies?"

They were firing questions at me one after the other.

"Whoa, settle down, one at a time, please."

They each sat back in their spot on the blanket and waited for me to speak. They were so much like their mother. I knew Tanya was looking down at our daughters and beaming with pride for the lovely young women they have become.

"Alright, I was thinking of the cliché, Christmas morning. Maybe have Riley hand her the box? I don't know… I may just do it when we go away at the end of the month. I'm not sure yet how I'm going to ask her, but I'd love some suggestions. Let's see: Do I have a ring? Yes. Your grandmother gave me a ring that was _my_ grandmother's. It's the one that I wanted to give Bella before." I pulled a soft velvet pouch from my pocket and removed the ring from inside.

"This was my Grandmother Elizabeth's ring." It was a simple ring, but it was definitely Bella. The setting was white gold, the center stone a 1 carat round sapphire with small diamonds circling it.

"She's going to love it, Dad. It's so pretty."

"You don't think I should buy her a new one?" Both girls shook their heads. "No, it'll mean more that it was your grandmother's ring. So, _does_ this mean we'll get more brothers or sisters?"

I put the ring back in to the pouch and returned it to my pocket. "This is something I really wanted to discuss with you both. Irina you mentioned back when you first found out about Riley that you were worried that I'd create a new family, leaving you behind."

I saw her dip her head, "I'm sorry, Dad. I really didn't feel that way. I was just hurt by everything. I know you won't forget about me or Kate."

I reached for her hand then took one of Kate's. "Nothing can ever replace you girls in my heart. You are my babies, my princesses. I want to be honest with you, and get your honest reaction. Bella and I have been talking about it, and we want to try to have a baby as soon as we get married. You've always had each other and we'd like to have at least one other baby so Riley has a playmate. I'd like to say you got a real vote in the matter, but it's what we want. I do however want to reiterate that no one will ever take your place. We will just be expanding our family."

Kate was the first to speak. "Honestly Dad, I think it's great that you and Bella are making it official."

Irina added, "And Riley needs a little brother to play with. I think we've got enough girls."

I had to laugh at that. "Well we'll try to get the 'order' right for you. It is a fifty/fifty chance of one or the other."

The afternoon carried on bringing the sun and giving us a nice day to spend time talking. Kate said that the dance was a lot of fun and that everyone behaved, surprisingly. I didn't think it was so shocking, after all the Chief of Police was monitoring what was going on, and no one wanted to risk being arrested.

Irina said that the bonfire down at First Beach was fun, just people talking and dancing. Jared and Paul had taken turns dancing with Irina until Collin, the other boy from school, got the courage to ask her to dance.

I had a feeling Bella would get more information from the girls about their dates than I got, but at least they told me something about their night.

When the sun started to shift in the sky, I checked my watch and noticed it was getting close to five o'clock. Bella would be back at the house waiting for them to arrive.

"Time to head back. We still have to tell your grandparents that the cottage has been set up for them to use at anytime."

**BPOV**

Carlisle, Esme and I had a great time together. After we left Edward and the girls in the hospital parking lot, we drove into Port Angeles. Esme was positively giddy at the prospect of spending time showing off her grandson.

I directed Carlisle to what was becoming a Cullen tradition, _La Bella Italia_. Thankfully I had brought food for Riley. We had a pleasant lunch just catching up on what everyone had been up to. Riley was enjoying the attention his grandparents were showering him with, and happily chattered along with us.

Since we were in Port Angeles anyway, we stopped briefly in to see Jasper and Alice. My mind kept drifting to thoughts of Edward and what he and the girls were up to. I was happy that they were getting some alone time. They had not had much of that since our reunion.

"What do you think, Bella? Are you up for it?" Alice asked me.

"Sorry, I must have spaced out for a bit. What were you asking me?"

Esme laughed before explaining. "We were just discussing Thanksgiving. I had been planning to host the family's dinner at Edward's this year, but since it is now your house as well, I wondered if you would be upset about having it?"

I shook my head, "No, as a matter of fact I would love for all of us to celebrate at the house. I don't mind cooking at all, as long as I get some help from you and Shelly, Esme. I also need to start planning for this little guy's birthday. It's the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, so I wanted to have just a little dinner party for the family. At least everyone will already be here."

"Bella, you have to let me help with the decorations, the cake, party favors," Alice started rattling things off.

"Stop, Alice. It's his first birthday. He's not going to even remember it, and there won't be any other children with the exception of Emmaline. I'd love your help, but it doesn't have to be a big production. We can save that for his third birthday."

It's not that I didn't appreciate her enthusiasm, but I wanted Edward and I to do it our way. We did discuss Thanksgiving, who would be in charge of what dishes. Alice was a little put out that Edward was taking me away the day after Thanksgiving and I would not be able to go with her shopping on Black Friday. Something I was infinitely grateful for, though I thought she was nuts for braving early morning shopping before dealing with her own shop.

Emmett called Carlisle just before three to tell him that Rose was sleeping and asked us to allow them some quiet time until the next day, so we just headed back to the house.

After putting Riley down for a nap, I asked Esme if she and Carlisle would like to sit outside on the deck to enjoy the afternoon. Carlisle opened a bottle of wine, Esme took the glasses, and after preparing a fruit and cheese platter we all settled into the deck chairs waiting for Kate, Irina and Edward to return. To see Edward walking into the yard with Kate and Irina leading the way, I knew they had been to the meadow. They were all wearing smiles and laughing, so I knew the day had gone well.

I stood to greet them as they made their way up the stairs onto the deck. "Did you have a good time today?" Kate and Irina nodded then each gave me a kiss before saying hello to their grandparents. Edward sat the basket on the floor before pulling me to him. "It was a great afternoon." He kissed my nose, causing me to giggle. "We missed you and Riley, though. How was your afternoon?" He raised his voice before adding, "Mom and Dad didn't bore you to death, did they?"

"We had a lovely time, Edward, and Bella has agreed to host Thanksgiving for all the 'Crazy Cullens'."

Esme winked at me, "She even managed to rein in your sister's inner party planner. Alice wanted to plan this over the top birthday party for Riley, but Bella nixed her ideas in lieu of a more subtle family dinner."

He looked at me, shocked. "You are a miracle worker, love." I shook my head, "No, I just delayed her for a few years. I guarantee that his third and fourth birthdays will be out of this world."

We all walked into the house and Edward noticed his parents' suitcases. "Um, Mom, didn't Bella tell you that you aren't staying here?" At Esme's shocked look, I elbowed Edward in his side.

"It's not like that, Esme. What your son so idiotically started to tell you was that we have the cottage next to Emmett's house ready for you. We thought you'd like your own space when you come to visit, which we hope is often."

Edward nodded, rubbing his side, "Yeah, that's what I was saying. Bella had already leased the cottage and furnished it before we decided that we couldn't stand to be apart any longer, and instead of returning everything, she thought it would be a great place for you to stay. It has a nursery all set up so you can keep Emmaline whenever you want, or for Riley when you kidnap him."

Esme glanced over at Carlisle, "It would save us the time and hassle of building." He nodded. "Sounds great, son, we'd love to stay there. By the way, you are still letting your mother and I 'kidnap' the kids Monday, right?

Edward had asked them to keep Riley Tuesday, during the day so we could meet with the lawyers, but I didn't know they were taking him Monday night along with the girls. "Edward, what are you up to?"

He kissed my temple. "I want you to myself Monday night. We have some celebrating to do, so I asked mom if they would mind keeping the kids Monday night and then we could pick Riley up Tuesday afternoon after we meet the lawyer. Besides it'll give you a test run for when we leave them for three nights at the end of the night."

I wanted it, more than I'd readily admit to, but I still had not been away from my baby overnight, ever. It was a good idea. I knew I'd be miserable on our trip worrying about Riley and if he was ok, but it was hard to think of leaving him.

"Alright, I guess it'll be ok. Do you think Riley will miss me too much?" Esme wrapped her arm around my shoulders.

"It's always difficult to leave them at first, but you know he'll be fine. Kate and Irina will be there, and I've raised my share of children." She and I walked into the kitchen to start preparing dinner.

"I know Riley will be fine, but I've just never left him overnight. It's not that I don't trust you and Carlisle. I do, with my life, with Ry's life."

"Its fine Bella, I do understand. The kids will be fine and I promise that if Riley gets too upset, I will call you."

I gave Esme a hug and my thanks. We prepared a salad and heated a couple of French baguettes in the oven while I reheated chili for our dinner.

Edward volunteered to take Esme and Carlisle over to the cottage while I bathed Riley and got him ready for bed.

We spent the next day dividing our time between getting Em and Rose's house ready for their homecoming and helping Carlisle and Esme get settled. Esme and I were preparing meals that Emmett would have no trouble reheating for Rose. By the time we were finished, their freezer was completely full. Rose's parents would be flying in later in the week, but until then it would just be Emmett and Rose home with baby Em.

We stayed to visit with the new parents for a couple of hours, but trying to keep everyone quiet was difficult. After reassurances to both Rose and Em that not only was Esme next door, but I was only a phone call away and willing to help however they needed it, we all left them to enjoy life as a family of three.

"Bella, I'd really like another brother." Irina's eyes were dancing with laughter. "Really? Well you need to talk to your father about that."

"Well Dad said you two talked about it, and we'd both really like another brother…or sister. Riley needs a playmate." Kate was nodding her head, looking like a loon.

"Well alright then…we'll uh…get right on that. Won't we Edward?" He was laughing now, too.

"Sure love, just as soon as we get home."

"Ewe! At least wait until we go to sleep!" Both girls said.

Riley thought we were all hilarious and he was clapping and laughing at us all. "Ok, that's enough of that conversation."

Later that evening after everyone was in bed, I turned to Edward asking him about what the girls had brought up about babies. "You really talked to them? You asked them how they felt about us having another baby."

He ran a hand down my side, hooking my leg over his hip. "Yes, love. We talked about a lot of things yesterday. I wanted to tell them what we had discussed…they are more than ok with the thought. You heard them, Rini wants another brother, Kate doesn't care, but she's happy for us. They love you and are happy we're together."

~O~O~O~

The next morning after taking Kate and Irina to school, Edward and I took Riley out for breakfast, where we saw my father.

"Hey Daddy!" Charlie turned three shades of red.

"Morning Bells, Edward," he kissed Riley's head, "What brings you guys out this morning?"

I noticed there was another plate set across from Charlie.

"Oh we just took the girls to school and wanted to have breakfast out before we drop Ry off with my parents. I'm taking Bella out to celebrate tonight." Edward said before someone approached and caught his attention.

"Bella…oh sweetheart, it's so good to see you." Sue Clearwater said as she gave me a quick hug. "Edward, it's nice to see you, as well."

Edward winked at me as I watched my father fumble for words. He looked so cute, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"Sue, you look lovely, it's great to see you. You're out early on your day off Dad. Do you two have plans for the day?"

Sue spoke up, "We had a late night, but were up early this morning and your dad wanted pancakes, so here we are." I thought I was going to pass out, and that Charlie was going to have a heart attack.

"Oh, um that's great. Enjoy your breakfast. We need to order before Riley goes crazy."

Edward was trying not to laugh at my expression. As we settled into the booth I said, "It's not funny, Edward. I could have gone a lifetime without knowing my dad likes pancakes after a night of sex. _You_ won't be eating pancakes this morning. Get an omelet, waffles, French toast, anything but pancakes."

"Awe, Bella, and I really wanted blueberry pancakes. Tell you what, you make them in the morning for me and I'll order French toast right now. Seriously, love, he looks happy."

I looked over at Charlie and Sue. They did look cute together, and I wanted him to be happy. "They do. I just don't ever want to think about my dad and sex, just no."

We all ate a nice breakfast; the only pancakes to be eaten were by Riley. We had just arrived at the cottage when my cell phone alerted an incoming text.

~_Ms Swan, Just to let you know, your case was the first on the docket this morning. Judge has signed the papers. You are now a single woman. Happy Divorce Day!_ ~_G_

"Ha! I have a laugh riot as an attorney."

"What's that, love?" Edward asked.

I showed him the text from Garrett Sanders, my attorney in California. He attended the divorce hearing for me.

"It's finally over, Edward. I'm free of Jake." Edward opened his door and hurried around to my side of the car. I took off my seatbelt before he pulled me out and into his arms.

"How do you feel? Are you ok with this?" He was so sweet to ask, but I could see his happiness reflected in his eyes. I reached up, threading my fingers into the hair at his neck. "I'm fabulous, now come here." I stepped up onto my tiptoes as he lowered his head to kiss me.

The last obstacle holding us back from forever, was now gone. Each moment from this one forward, there was nothing to keep us apart, nothing to keep us from truly being together as a family. We were free to enjoy our life together.

~O~O~O~O~

**Ok decided to end it here, but will show their date night and private celebration of the divorce in the next chapter.**

**This story is winding down now. There are about 4 chapters and an Epilogue left. Next chapter will be up next Wednesday.**

**Thank you so much for all your reviews and support of my little story. How Can I Help you has been nominated for a few categories over at The Sunflower Awards. There are a lot of fabulous stories nominated, and I love that it's specifically for those 'under the radar' fics. Voting is open until May 25****th****.**

**Check them out at thesunflowerawards . blogspot . com**


	27. Chapter 27

_**AN: So right now RL is crazy, school is winding down for my children and my son's teacher has decided to take her class on two last minute field trips so I'm a busy mom. Sorry this is later than expected.**_

_**We're winding down now, another 3 chapters plus the Epilogue.**_

_**As always S Meyer created the world of Twilight and the characters. This story line is mine, character names are hers. No copyright infringement intended.**_

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 26

My parents met us at the front steps, Mom immediately taking Riley from Bella. Dad gave us a strange look before asking, "What's with those grins, you two?"

We couldn't help the fact that the news of her divorce made us both insanely happy. "Morning Dad, it's a nice day, can't we be happy about that?"

He had just given Bella a hug and taken Riley's overnight bag from her, while I carried Kate and Irina's bags inside.

My parents had definitely made themselves at home already in the cottage. Mom was still sitting in her robe, playing with Riley and speaking to Bella. I followed my father down the hall to the nursery where we left all the bags.

"Seriously son, what's going on?"

"We've had a really good morning and just as we drove up, Bella received a text from her divorce attorney. Her case was first on the docket this morning and has already been finalized. She's finally free of Jake."

Dad pulled me into a hug, "Congratulations! So when are you asking her? Don't wait too long this time, ok?"

I scowled at him, "I didn't wait too long before. We were ambushed. I am planning to do it soon. I'll know when it's right. I've got the ring with me, but I need to talk to Charlie first. He's pretty much already given his blessing, but I want him aware."

As we joined the women back in the living room, my father walked back over to Bella taking her into his arms for a hug. "Congratulations, Bella. How are you feeling now that it's all over?"

Bella hugged him back before walking to my side. "Free, Carlisle. I am happy and free to finally be where I am supposed to be." I smiled at her then leaned down to kiss her hair.

Mom looked up at us and I could see the happiness in her. "So what are your plans for today?"

Bella looked to me to answer her. "Well as long as Bella doesn't mind I wanted us to go into Seattle to pick up my new car, then maybe we'll stay for dinner and a boat ride. Since you will have all the kids tonight we can stay and drive in to Port Angeles early tomorrow to meet Jenks."

I could see I lost Bella at the mention of staying overnight.

"Edward…" I tipped her chin up and looked down into her eyes. "Love, he'll be fine here. The only difference in the night is that we'll be further away. Ry and the girls were already spending the night here as a trial run for our weekend away."

Her eyes spoke so clearly to me. She was already struggling with the thought of leaving him overnight, but now to be several hours away from him in addition to him sleeping away from her…

"We don't have to stay over, Bella. If you would prefer we can just go pick up my car and then drive back to Port Angeles for dinner."

Bella straightened her stance. "No, you are right. I know he'll be fine here." She walked over to my mom. "Esme, I don't want you to think that I don't think you're capable. I know what a fantastic mother and grandmother you are."

"Bella, sweetheart, don't be silly. I know you trust us. I also know how hard it is to leave a child, especially the first time. I promise that either Carlisle or I will call you if we feel Riley or the girls need you. Now, let my son take you out and spoil you a bit." My mother leaned in to whisper in Bella's ear, but she said it loud enough for me and my father to hear. "You need to make him work for your love, at least a little bit, otherwise he'll get complacent." Both Bella and Mom laughed at that, while Dad and I frowned at them.

"Hey, I want to spoil her. She's the one that needs the convincing." I pulled out the patented Cullen pout.

"Don't, Edward. There's no need for that lip, baby. I just wish I could spoil you the way you do to me. We'd better go. I won't leave if we stay much longer."

I walked over to Mom, gave her a kiss before taking Riley and telling him to be good for Grandma and Grandpa. Bella kissed his head and told him we loved him. Mom took him back as we walked to the door.

"Have fun and try not to worry. We'll speak to you tonight."

Once we were back in the car driving to the house I reminded her, "He'll be fine, love. Mom will call if there is a problem. Don't forget though that Kate and Irina will be there to keep Ry occupied. He probably won't even miss us."

Ugh, probably should not have said that. "Let's get back to the house, pack a quick overnight bag with our clothes for the meeting with Jenks, and then head out." It was just after nine o'clock when we made it back to the house. If we hurried we would be at the dealership after lunch.

"Love, why don't you pack a bag while I make a couple of calls? I'll pack a few things in a bit." While she went off to our room, I first called the dealership I had been speaking with. After looking around online I had decided the Infinity QX56 was just what I wanted. I hated to see my Volvo go, but we really needed the room that the QX offered. I had already ordered one for myself and it was now on the lot, so I just needed to let the salesman know we'd be coming in with my car. What Bella didn't know was that I had been planning to order one for her. I knew she loved the Navigator, but it was getting older and she would need a new car soon. I hoped that she would fall in love with mine so that it would ease the transition for her and I wouldn't end up sleeping in my studio.

After assuring the salesman I'd be there in a few hours, I dialed the Chief's house number. I couldn't guarantee that I'd wait long enough to see him in person again, so I just wanted him to be aware that I'd be proposing at some point soon.

"Hello?"

"Charlie, it's Edward," my palms were sweating. I felt like I was a teenager again asking permission to take a girl to the movies.

"What can I do for your, Ed? We just saw you an hour ago."

"I know Charlie, but I needed to tell you something while Bella is out of earshot. Remember when you came over here and asked me what my intentions were? Bella's divorce was finalized this morning, and I've been carrying my grandmother's ring around with me. I'm not saying it'll be today, tomorrow or even this week, but I am planning to propose to Bella, Charlie. I just wanted you to know." I heard him muffle a cough.

"Well I can't say I wasn't expecting this. Thanks for calling to let me know, Ed. You take good care of my little girl, or I'll follow through with what I told you before. I can make you disappear."

I had no doubts Charlie Swan would make me disappear if I ever hurt Bella or Riley. "If I ever hurt either of them, I'd hand myself over to you. Thanks Charlie. You may want to say a prayer I live though. I'm planning to surprise Bella with a new SUV in the next week or two."

His quiet chuckle came through the line. "Ah hell, I promise to come to your funeral, son. Good luck with that."

I heard Bella coming out of our room. "Thanks, I need to run. I'll call you and let you know."

No sooner had I ended the call than my cell rang, Forks General flashed on the screen.

"Babe, take your call, I'll get your clothes ready for you." Bella turned and walked back into the room.

"Hello?"

"Is this Mr. Cullen?"

"Yes, this is Edward Cullen. How can I help you?"

**BPOV**

I left Edward to his phone call and went back into the closet to pack him a couple of shirts and jeans. We were going casual to the lawyer's office the next day, but I did grab once of his suits and a nice shirt incase we went somewhere that night that would require it. I hung a dress with his suit in a garment bag before packing his toiletries kit.

I was just zipping the weekender bag when I heard Edward walk up behind me. "Love,"

His voice shook. "That was the nurse at the lab. They have the results ready for us to pick up, but they want you to go see your doctor."

I looked at Edward completely confused. "Why would I need to see my doctor?"

He looked worried about what he had heard from the nurse. "She didn't say much just that while screening your blood something abnormal showed up in your results. They would like us to come in as soon as possible."

That word scared me to death, all the possibilities of what 'abnormal' could mean.

Is it possible that I had cancer? Could I have the same disease that killed my mother? I wasn't ready to die. I had just gotten everything I ever wanted.

"Edward, I'm scared. What could they have found? I thought they were just doing the DNA profile. What could show up as 'abnormal' in a DNA profile?"

I could feel a meltdown coming and I really didn't want Edward to see that. I rushed into the bathroom and closed the door.

After splashing water on my face I looked into the mirror. I knew I had jumped to many conclusions, but after losing my mother it was a deep-seated fear. I didn't want to leave my child.

"Love, we should go." Edward walked over to me and pulled me back against his chest.

"Everything will be fine. Don't borrow trouble yet, Bella. Let's go see what they have to say and then we'll deal with it, whatever it is."

He grabbed our bags and led me out to the Volvo.

Ten minutes later we were being greeted by one of the nurses at the lab.

"Mr. Cullen, Ms. Swan, thanks for coming down. I have your paperwork right here. This is the sealed set of results for your attorney to file, and these are your copies." My nerves were raw and I couldn't take waiting for them to get to the 'abnormal' results.

"What was found in my blood? Is it cancer, a virus?"

The nurse looked from Edward to me, taking in our tense demeanor. "Wait, I think there's been a misunderstanding. Ms. Swan, there's nothing wrong with you. There was just something that showed up in your blood screenings. As a precaution the lab always screens any blood sample for disease as well as running routine tests based on the sex of the person. Your blood has low levels of hCG, the hormone that shows up during pregnancy. We needed to make you aware as you had not listed on your paperwork that you were pregnant."

Pregnant.

She just said I was pregnant.

PREGNANT?

"Ed…" before I could even get his name out of my mouth, his was on mine and he was swinging me around the office.

He set me down, "Bella, love, are you alright?"

I was numb, it must be shock. "But I can't be pregnant. I just had my period."

"The only thing I can tell you Ms. Swan is that your blood shows levels of hCG. The further into your pregnancy the higher the levels, but according to this you are pregnant. I'd recommend making an appointment with your doctor to confirm everything."

Edward took my hand and then accepted the test results from the nurse. After thanking her, he led me out of the hospital towards his car. "Love, look at me."

His face was drawn with worry. "Talk to me, love."

I forced a smile, trying to alleviate his worry. "I'm fine, sweetheart, just overwhelmed."

"Should you call your doctor?" He was being so careful with me, treating me as if I would break.

"No, I have that appointment scheduled with Todd, it's on Wednesday morning."

Edward had me fastened into my seatbelt and he rounded the car to get into his own seat.

"Are you feeling up to going to Seattle today, love? If you would rather, we can stay home." I quickly shook my head. "No, let's go get your new car. I'll be fine. It's just a little shocking."

He took my hand in his as he drove us towards Seattle. My mind was reeling as we drove. Edward allowed me time to try to absorb the news, but I think he ran out of patience when we were an hour outside of Seattle.

**EPOV**

Her silence was killing me. I knew she was shocked, I was as well, but this was not a bad thing. Yes, it was earlier than we hoped, but we had also discussed the possibility after the barbeque. We knew there was a possibility that forgetting to use a condom could lead us here and were prepared for it. At least I thought we were prepared. What if Bella wasn't ready?

"Love, please…" I was overjoyed at the prospect of a new baby. I didn't know what to do if Bella wasn't.

"Are you not happy about this at all, love? I know we were hoping to wait a little longer, but this is a good thing Bella."

She turned towards me. Her eyes held so many emotions. It was hard to narrow down how she was feeling.

"I am happy Edward, but I guess I'm still in shock. Yes this is earlier than we planned, but I told you before, I would not regret it if we had made a baby that night and now it looks as if we did. If I truly am pregnant, then this child is most definitely meant to be. This is a different situation than I was in with Riley. I know you want this baby. I know you love me, we are together, a family already." I watched as she laid a hand on her lower abdomen, right over where our child was developing.

"I do love you, Bella. We are a family already and this child will always be loved, but if you are unsure, if you aren't ready…" I didn't know how I was going to finish that sentence and it didn't matter as Bella turned her shocked face at me.

"I could never abort our child, Edward. Why would you say that?"

I'd really stepped into that, "No, love, that's not what I meant. I know you could never do that. I just meant that we were in this together and that you aren't alone. I will help you through anything."

Her eyes were brimming with tears that I hoped would not fall. "Charlie may just castrate you, Edward. He was just saying that he hoped we would wait until after the wedding to make any more Cullen babies."

"Don't worry about your father, Bella. I'll deal with Charlie."

We were not far from Seattle so I switched the conversation to lighter topics. I asked her if she wanted to dine at the Space Needle that evening or if she'd rather enjoy a picnic on the boat out in the lake.

"Honestly, I would like to just relax tonight and just be with you. I would love to go out on the water though."

I would arrange for us to take a picnic from our hotel with us tonight, but needed to remember to tell them to leave out the wine. I couldn't help begin excited about that. I wanted to pick up my car and drive Bella straight to the hotel.

When I drove into the dealership's lot Bella looked at me. "So you decided on the Infinity. The big one, right?" I nodded as I parked the car. "Do you want to drive it love, you know to get the feel of it?"

I helped her out of the car and led her into the showroom, where we were met by half a dozen people.

"How can I help you today?" came from a chorus of voices.

"I'm Edward Cullen and I have an appointment with Mr. Randall to pick up my new car."

It was hilarious to watch all of their faces fall. "Yes sir, right this way."

Bella was giggling as we were led back into the manager's office. "Mr. Cullen, it's a pleasure."

Mr. Randall took us outside to inspect the large black SUV that I'd ordered. Everything I had asked for was included and Bella's eyes lit as she sat inside of it.

"Think it's going to be large enough, Bella? The back bench seat is large enough for three car seats, or we can install them in the middle two seats leaving the rear for Kate and Irina." She was giving me the arched eyebrow.

"One baby at a time, Edward. One. At. A. Time."

"Yes love, I'll remember that."

After finalizing the payment and signing over the title of the Volvo, I quietly made the arrangements to have Bella's car delivered the weekend before Thanksgiving, on Riley's birthday. I hoped that by then she'd be more inclined to accept it.

Surprisingly it didn't take that long at the dealership and we were arriving at the Alexis Hotel shortly after two. I left the car with the valet service, taking our bags into the hotel.

Bella was admiring the décor of the boutique hotel that sat just down from Pikes Place.

"I hope you and your wife enjoy your stay, Mr. Cullen. If there is anything you need, please let us know."

"I will need to arrange a picnic for this evening. Will one of your restaurants be able to arrange that for me?"

"Yes sir, if the items on the Bookstore menu are not to your liking for a picnic, or concierge will be happy to arrange something for you."

Bella wrapped her arms around my waist smiling at the desk clerk. "Thank you. Edward, take me upstairs. I'd like to shower and change before we go out later."

She was starting to glare at the poor clerk, so I led her over to the elevators.

"Love, why were you attempting to burn a hole through that woman with your eyes?"

Bella, who was still trying to stare the woman down, turned to me and huffed. "She was flirting with you. She knew we were here together, but she was still eye-fucking you."

I laughed at that. "Sweetheart, she was not flirting with me or eye-fucking me. She was just being helpful." When the elevator stopped at the top floor I was practically dragging Bella towards our suite. "Love, I booked us the Honeymoon suite. She thought we were married. Don't get this way, Bella. It's only you for me, you know this." God I hoped this wasn't her hormones kicking in already. She'd been off for the last week which we had attributed to her cycle.

"Why don't you take a bath to relax, love? I'm just going to order us a light meal since we haven't eaten."

She walked into the bedroom to get ready for the bath and I dialed room service. I ordered a fruit and cheese platter for us now, but was not happy with their options for dinner, so after speaking to the concierge, they promised to have a basket ready for us by six that evening.

I walked into the bathroom, standing just inside the door. Bella was relaxing in the tub, looking good enough to eat.

"Room service will be up in about twenty minutes. May I join you in there?"

She sat forward in the tub, allowing me room to sit behind her. "How are you feeling, Bella?"

She sighed. "I'm ok, really. I'll go see Todd and have him run another test. I can't be very far along, only two weeks or so."

I wrapped my arms around her running one hand up to cup her breast the other settling over her stomach.

"Thank you for this." I kissed her gently then trailed soft kisses down her neck and across her shoulder.

"I can't say I regret it, Bella. This is what we both want, it just happened earlier than we hoped. I can't wait to see you grow round with our child. And these," I cupped both her breasts, "I'm so going to enjoy these as they grow."

Her laugh bounced around the walls of the bathroom. She arched into my hands as I played with her nipples. I was growing hard against her back and looking forward to a little love in the tub when we were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"That would be room service." With a kiss to her head I rose from the tub and wrapped a towel around myself before answering the door.

The server didn't even blink as he entered the suite with our tray. I imagine it was a normal occurrence when they delivered to the honeymoon suite.

Bella entered the living, wearing a robe, just as I closed the door.

"It's just a platter with fruit cheese and cold cuts, but it should be enough to tide us over until tonight. You need to eat, my love. The fruit and protein will be good for you."

She took the bottles of water and walked back into the bedroom, where we lay down and fed each other. After a few minutes of quietly eating, my towel was gone and Bella's robe was open and pooling around her body on the bed. I took a slice of mango and raised it to Bella's lips, but instead of letting her bite it, I rubbed it over her mouth before kissing the juice from her lips. Eating was forgotten, but I trailed that slice of fruit down her neck over her shoulders, following the juice trail with my mouth.

Bella lay back on the bed completely bare before me. Love radiated in her eyes as I drank in the vision before me. I traced the lines of her body with the mango. Down her chest, over her pebbled nipples, kissing and sucking her clean from the juice. The moans she expelled were low, long and driving me wild. I longed to just take her with abandon, but would not do that now, Bella was carrying a new life and I would worship every inch of her body. I would not risk hurting her. She writhed as I licked and nipped her beautiful breasts. I knew it wouldn't be long before they were much larger and the male 'pig' in me could not wait for it.

"Edward, please…I need you, so badly."

I wasn't finished tasting her luscious body. I tossed the mango, because pure flavor of Bella tasted so much better than anything else. I knew I could happily live between her thighs, just worshiping her. I lapped at Bella's core; long licks from her entrance to the swollen nerve bundle soon sent her spiraling out of control. She screamed my name as she came. I continued to work her with my mouth until she pulled as my shoulders and hair, begging me to fill her.

I rose over her, settling myself against her heat.

"God, I love you so much Bella." She was pulling me closer, frantic in her movements.

"Edward, now…"

I pulled her leg up around my waist as I positioned myself at her entrance and slipped inside her. I tried to slow us down to prolong our pleasure, but Bella would have none of that. Her legs wrapped tightly around me, digging her heels into my ass and spurring me on. I plunged into her again and again. I was so close and the sensation of her walls fluttering around me as she found release triggered my own blinding orgasm. I propped myself up on my arms to avoid crushing her, but I didn't want to leave the haven of her body just yet.

"Mmm…thank you handsome. I really needed that." She stretched lazily beneath me. I chuckled then kissed her as I eased from her body to lie on my side, drawing her to me again.

"You are most welcome, love. Rest now, we have a few hours before we go out tonight."

Her breathing slowed and settled into an even rhythm as she slept. I lay with her contemplating what our evening would bring. I had been thinking about it since the nurse uttered the word pregnancy.

I was going to propose tonight while we were out in the boat, under the stars. I knew Bella would know that I was not just asking because of the baby, but I wanted us married soon, before this baby was born.

I eased away from her so that I could make a few calls. The first was to Jason Jenks, my attorney. Our appointment was scheduled for nine the next morning to meet with him and one of his partners that specialized in Family Law, Jenks entire firm held licenses to practice on the entire west coast. I asked him if we could move our appointment to one, explaining that Bella and I were in Seattle and that we'd be driving back in the morning. Jenks generally bent over backwards to accommodate my family, so he had no problems rescheduling our meeting.

My second call was to my parents. I want to check on Riley so I could reassure Bella that he was fine. "Hi, sweetheart, we're all fine here. Carlisle took Riley down to the gun range and I let him practice throwing knives at the neighbor's dogs." How my mother could pull off sarcastic whit and still manage to make me feel like a child receiving a scolding, I'll never know.

"Riley is fine, dear. Tell Bella not to worry. I promise I do know what I am doing."

I suppressed my chuckles. "I know mom, you raised me well, I'm not sure where you went wrong with Ali, but one out of two isn't bad." She clucked her tongue at me.

"Alice is fine dear, she's just a bit high-strung, she gets that from your father's mother."

Mom had never seen eye to eye with my paternal grandmother. "I know Ry is fine mom, I just wanted to check in. Bella and I are taking the boat out later, so I was just checking in so she won't freak out.

It was almost five o'clock when Bella woke. I had already showered and dressed in jeans and a button down. I had changed the time with the concierge and they were sending our basket up to the room by five thirty.

I sat on the edge of the bed as she slowly sat up. "Hi love, did you sleep well?" When she nodded I pointed to her clothing that I laid out for her. "Get ready, we'll leave here in about twenty minutes."

While she walked into the bathroom, I took two blankets from the linen closet and waited for our dinner to arrive.

Once she was ready and we had our basket in hand, Bella and I left to drive over to the marina on Lake Union. Being out on the water with the love of my life, having three perfect children at home and knowing that soon we'd have another child, I was content. Bella spread out one blanket on the bow of the boat where we lay cuddled together watching as the starts showed themselves on the rare cloudless night.

"Are you happy, love?" I searched her eyes for the answer I knew I'd find there. She had been laughing at a joke Em had told me and her eyes were dancing with mirth.

"Unbelievably happy, Edward."

I shifted so I could reach into my pocket, pulling the ring out of the pouch. I took her left hand in mine and slid the ring over her finger. "Edward?" She looked at me, her eyebrows drawn down.

"I've loved you for so long, Bella. I wanted to marry you the minute I saw you in your mother's hospital room. My mother gave me this ring the morning you flew back to Sacramento. I had planned to ask you to marry me when you got back. We were waylaid then, but nothing is stopping us now. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, I want to raise our children together, live our life full of love and happiness. Isabella Swan, will you marry me?" Her eyes shimmered with tears as a grin spread across her mouth.

"You aren't asking just because you knocked me up again, are you?"

I laughed, smiling just as wide as she was. "No, that's just a bonus." I took her in my arms, kissing her deeply, stirring our bodies to respond to the love and lust in the air.

I pulled back to look into her eyes. "Well?"

She launched herself at me. "Yes, yes, yes. I'll marry you."

I spent the evening with Bella, under the blankets, making her say 'yes' over and over as we brought each other pleasure.

O~O~O~O~O

**So…there's a new little Cullen on the way, possibly, and Edward proposed.**

**Bella has a surprise car coming in the next few weeks, Riley's turning one, and Thanksgiving with the family is coming fast.**

**Three more chapters and the Epilogue, then we're done. Thanks so much to all my readers, new and old. HCIHY has broken 400 reviews when I thought I'd be lucky to get 100. **

**Next chapter will be up within the week. Tomorrow will be a long day at the orthodontist while both of my children get braces put on, so I'll be writing there.**

**Let me know what you think of the chapter and the newest developments. Please leave a review.**


	28. Chapter 28 Happy Birthday

_**AN: We're moving a bit through time. This chapter leads up to Thanksgiving, which will be the next chapter. There will be two more chapters plus the epilogue after this.**_

_**As always S Meyer created the world of Twilight and the characters. This story line is mine, character names are hers. No copyright infringement intended.**_

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 27

Happy Birthday!

**BPOV**

The last few weeks had flown past. Riley, my sweet angel boy would be turning one on Friday. Only after Edward had threatened Alice with bodily harm had she finally given up on trying to convince us to throw an elaborate party for him. She was also rolling along with the new assignment we had given her. Alice was in the process of planning our wedding.

After a very successful meeting with Mr. Jenks and his partner Mr. Turner, all the paperwork had been signed and initialed and would be filed with the California family courts to initiate the change of Riley's birth record. Edward and I left the lawyers office smiling and hopeful that this would not take more than six or seven months. Edward drove us back to Forks so we could collect our children.

~~_Flashback~~_

_When we walked into the cottage we were met by one half of the Cullen family. Carlisle and Esme were seated on the sofa across from Rose and Emmett. Riley was playing with his blocks on the floor between them until he heard us enter._

"_Mamaa Dada" He squealed as we watched him jump up and run over to us. I scooped him up and heard Esme gasp as we covered him in kisses._

"_Missed you, baby boy, so so much. Daddy and I can't leave you anymore."_

_Esme was beside us in short order. "You're engaged? Oh my babies… Congratulations!"_

_Suddenly everyone was surrounding us. "Yes, we're engaged. I asked Bella last night, and she said 'yes'." Emmett was pounding Edward on his back while Rose and Esme "oohed" and "ahhed" over the ring. _

_Riley got excited because everyone else was so excited. Edward explained that we wanted a small ceremony with just family and close friends and that we wanted to do it soon._

"_I know Ali will freak out that we aren't doing the big wedding, but we've waited for this moment long enough."_

_We had already decided to wait until after my appointment with Todd to confirm the pregnancy and hopefully the first trimester before announcing the news to everyone. We were planning to tell the girls that evening, but since I was so early in the pregnancy anything could happen. I was exhausted and after the rollercoaster of emotions the past thirty-six hours has provided, I was ready to drop. The girls would be getting out of school shortly, but Edward had asked Shelly to pick them up. He took us home wanting me to 'relax'. _

_Edward was already becoming overprotective. He insisted on carrying Riley and all of his things into the house. I moved to grab our bags and he barked at me not to touch them. "Edward, sweetheart, I am capable of carrying bags, groceries, even our son. I promise not to over do it, but I will have to start drugging you if you smother me too much. Nothing has changed really since yesterday. The only thing different is that we know. I've got to move around, I need to live normally."_

_Edward wrapped me in his arms, "Sorry love, I will try to relax, but please no carrying anything heavier than Riley. I'm just trying to take care of both of you."_

_Later that evening, after we had all eaten dinner and the girls had finished all of their homework, we sat them down in the den to tell them our news. We told them that not only were we engaged, to which I had to explain how he proposed, but that we were also expecting a baby. I told them exactly how we were told and informed them that I was going to see my doctor to confirm everything. _

_Kate was bouncing with her joy that we were getting married and a new sibling was on its way. Irina smiled and looked happy, but she was a bit off. Edward and I spoke that night after all of the kids were in bed. We thought it would be a good thing to let Maggie know about the changes coming to our family so she would be able to talk about it with Irina in their next session. The last thing I wanted was for this to be a set back for her, she'd come so far since my return._

"_She'll be fine, love," Edward tried to assure me. "It's probably just the realization that we are truly getting married. She's told me that she wanted this for us and that she wanted more siblings. Let's try not to worry too much right now; we'll just give her a few days to think it all through."_

_After catching up on work the next day, Edward invited Alice and Jasper over for dinner. We unleashed the party beast with our news. She was so excited for us, but completely crazed, especially when we dropped the bomb. "You have three weeks, Ali. Do what you can to organize a small affair, but the only guests will be those we invite for Thanksgiving." _

_Since we would be leaving for an extended weekend following our Thanksgiving dinner, Edward mentioned having the ceremony at our house with the family. I was all in favor of that and assumed three weeks wouldn't be enough time for Alice to go overboard with the planning._

_I was wrong. Alice spent the next two weeks driving me batty with all of her questions. In the midst of all the wedding nonsense, I was not only trying to plan Riley's birthday dinner, but I also had to visit my doctor._

_Todd or Dr Philips, in his office, ran a urine test along with another blood test. He took all of my information and addressed my questions about the 'period' I thought I had just had. _

"_It's not uncommon to have some light bleeding at the very beginning of your pregnancy, due to the embryo implanting in your uterus. Usually is bleeding occurs it is much lighter and shorter than a menstrual period. You should only be concerned if you experience cramping in addition to bleeding, then you should rush to the hospital. Your urine did test positive and we are testing the blood now. It's too early to hear a heartbeat, but I would like you and Edward to come back the first week in December for an ultrasound. We should be able to accurately date your pregnancy then."_

_I left his office with my next appointment scheduled along with my prescriptions for prenatal vitamins._

_I had informed the wedding Nazi that if the weather permitted, I really wanted Edward and me to be able to say our vows in the meadow. The logistics proved to be too difficult though. I didn't want anyone to fall while walking out there, and it was too far from the house should the weather turn, so we settled on the backyard. Alice suggested Edward and I say our vows on the deck above our guests. As we were holding the ceremony at noon on Thanksgiving, we would be eating our holiday meal that night._

_I still insisted on cooking for our guests, so Esme and Rose would help me precook the side dishes the day before and Esme and Carlisle would take care of the two turkeys and ham the day of the wedding. I was exhausted after each of our marathon shopping trips and Edward finally had to step in._

_I was overwhelmed with it all so I finally told Alice that anything she decided would be fine. The girls were my only bridesmaids and Riley was our little ring bearer. Carlisle would stand with Edward as his best man. The last decision I made was the only one I was excited about. I found my dress at the last shop we went to. I had intended to find a simple tea length dress to go along with our simple wedding, but I fell in love with the ivory confection staring out at me from the store's window. It was an ivory satin ball gown with pickup accents with a satin cuff neckline. I loved the lace-up back, but decided against the optional train. I knew it was meant to be mine when the store actually had one in stock that was my size but the bride changed her mind. They measured for the alterations and informed me that they would have it ready the Monday before Thanksgiving._

_After the purchase of my dress, I was done wedding planning. Alice took over everything else, but I had my little boy's birthday to plan. _

_~~~End of Flashback~~~_

It was now Wednesday; my baby boy would be one on Friday, and by the next Friday his daddy and I would be on our honeymoon. Edward insisted that after the holidays we would take a longer trip. He wanted to take me to Italy or Greece in the spring. I would look forward to that, but the short trip he'd planned was enough for me.

I was double checking my order for Riley's cake with Mrs. Weber when I heard, "BELLS" from behind me. I turned to see the face of my best friend running towards me.

"Angie! Oh my God! I'm so glad you made it home!" I had not seen Angela in months. We spoke often on the phone and she knew about Edward and our wedding, but like everyone else I had not told her about the baby yet. Honestly it was getting hard not to spill it. Alice had mentioned more than once that we needed to have a bachelor / bachelorette party. I wasn't interested, I knew Edward wasn't either, but there was no way she wouldn't be pushing drinks on me at anything like that and then she'd know.

Edward and I had amended our plan and instead of waiting until I was past 13 weeks, we were telling them at Christmas. We just had to make it that far.

"Bella, I'm just so happy for you and Edward. You're finally getting everything you wanted."

We spent time talking with Mrs. Weber. I adored Riley's cake. It was a Curious George cake and George was holding a small plate that contained Riley's individual cake and it was covered in miniature bananas. Mrs. Weber had even recreated the yellow hat that George kept stealing and she gave George green eyes like Riley's and Edward's.

Edward and I had started reading the George books to Riley and he loved them.

I called Edward to let him know Angela was in town and we were coming back to the house. Angie was dying to see Riley again as well as see Edward.

"Alright love, I'll ask Shelly to get Kate and Irina for you, while I bathe Riley. He had a little fun with his lunch today and ended up wearing more noodles and sauce than went into his stomach."

I laughed. Riley had discovered that Edward and I reacted in a funny way if he played with his food, and unfortunately he loved to make a mess. "Thanks baby."

"How is _my_ baby doing? Are you alright love, any of the symptoms bothering you yet?"

"Not yet, thank goodness, though if Alice pushes me one more time to do anything, I may remove her head."

"Don't worry love, I've got it handled. See you soon."

Angela and I left the bakery armed with lunch for everyone, boxes upon boxes of pastries, and a design in place for our wedding cake. Edward would be returning on Friday morning to pick up Riley's birthday cake.

"Does you mother want me to not be able to wear my dress? Thanks goodness it's next week, I won't have time to blow up."

Angela snorted, "Pfft, as if a couple of Mom's cupcakes or tarts would cause you to be too big for your wedding dress. Now if you were pregnant and waiting another couple of months to get married, then we may have an issue with your dress and I'd worry." I looked at her; she was wearing an innocent expression that she'd perfected when we were back in middle school starting mischief.

"Ang…what do you know, and how?"

She just laughed. "Bella, I've known you _forever_. So…are you?"

I nodded as she bounced in her seat. "We found out the day before we met with the lawyers to file the paperwork to change Riley's birth record. I was in shock, Edward was over the moon. We both wanted more children, but we just wanted to wait until after we were married. Then Edward proposed that night. I teased him about doing it just because he'd knocked me up again, but it was so romantic and he'd already talked to my dad and both girls. He'd been carrying the ring around waiting for the right time to ask."

"Why doesn't anyone know about the baby?"

"Well it's still really early. I wouldn't have found out for another couple of weeks if not for the paternity test. We wanted to wait until after my first trimester, but it's getting too hard to keep it quiet. The girls know of course, Todd and now you, but we're telling everyone else in the family at Christmas, so keep it quiet, ok?"

"No problem Bells, I'm just so happy for you both." It had taken me years, but Angela knew everything that had happened between me and Edward. She knew about Riley before I told Jake. She had pushed for me to fly to Forks and tell him, but when I balked she supported my decision. "It's taken a long time for you both to get here, but now you'll have it all."

We had just gotten settled in the den when I heard little steps running in our direction.

"Ry, slow down buddy, mommy isn't going anywhere."

"Mammaa" he shouted as soon as he spotted me. He hurried over as fast as his little legs would carry him. I picked him up snuggling him to me as I sat back on the sofa. Edward walked in from the kitchen looking his usual deliciousness again, sex on legs that was my Edward. Angela stood to hug Edward. "It's so good to see you, Angela. Welcome to our home."

He settled on the arm of the sofa beside me before leaning down to kiss me 'hello'.

"Mmm" he was smirking as he lifted his head, "Hi love, can I get you ladies anything to drink?"

I shook my head as did Angela. "We're fine, sweetheart. Mrs. Weber sent your sweet tooth a present or fifty, though. I set the boxes on the counter in the kitchen. You are going to love Riley's cake, Edward. She recreated Curious George perfectly."

We may not be going Alice crazy for his first birthday, but his first cake would be fantastic. Edward took Riley from me and set him on the floor so he could play.

"I'm sure it'll be great, love."

I sighed, "I can't believe he's one already. The time has just flown." I regretted that statement as soon as it was out of my mouth. Regret passed over Edward's beautiful face. He squeezed my knee before sitting down on the floor with Ry and his blocks.

We sat in the den catching up as Riley built and destroyed his empire again and again.

Shelly prepared a quick lunch for all of us and after we ate, she volunteered to take Angela back to the bakery before collecting the girls from school.

Edward put Riley down for his nap and we settled into our bed, just to rest. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I hate that you missed so much of his first months. He was the cutest little squirming bundle of joy and now he wants to assert his independence. He wants to walk everywhere, until he gets tired. He doesn't want a bottle anymore, just sippy cups. He's grown so fast." My hormones have been bouncing all over the place lately, so it was no surprise that the waterworks turned on.

"Awe love, please don't cry. I know you feel bad for not telling me sooner, but Bella the last couple of months have been the best of my life. My children, all of them, are happy and healthy. I have the love of my life in my arms and this summer we'll have a new bundle of joy. They may grow up, live lives of their own making, but they will always be our babies."

I snuggled further into him and said, "I know they will and I can't wait until next year when we have the holidays with all four of our children."

Quiet times had been few and far between in the last weeks and I knew it would be just as crazy in our house until after Christmas. Edward had been trying to change his scheduled trip to Los Angeles, but to no avail. The client was insistent that everything be completed the week prior to Christmas so Edward decided to turn it into a family trip. He wanted Kate, Irina, Riley and I to accompany him for the six day trip. The girls were excited about the prospect of shopping and star sightings while I was just happy we wouldn't have to be without him. Eric had already signed off on my trip because I could still work via email.

We heard the front door open and soon Kate and Irina were piling into bed with us.

This had seemed a tad strange to curl up with the girls on our bed, but after Irina snuck into our room in the middle of the night, a few nights after we told them about the baby and the wedding, I got used to it.

_~~~Flashback~~~_

"_Bella…are you awake?" _

_I opened my eyes to see Irina's face, extremely close to mine. I was eternally grateful for two things in that moment. First, that I didn't scream and wake Edward after being startled. The second thing, that I was wearing one of Edward's old UDub shirts. I'm not sure Irina could have recovered from getting yet another anatomy lesson seeing her me and her father naked again._

"_Rini, what's wrong?" I looked at the clock on the nightstand and it was just after two in the morning. I had only been asleep for a couple of hours._

"_Ca-can I sleep in here?" She asked._

_I pulled the covers back so she could slip in beside me. "What's going on, sweetheart?" She was trembling from the cold, so I wrapped her up in the blanket and my arms. _

"_Please talk to me, Irina."_

"_I'm sorry if you and Dad have been worried. I talked to Maggie tonight. I'm really okay with everything. I guess I was just in shock. Dad told us he was going to ask you to marry him, but just didn't expect it to be that soon. I'm glad you said yes though. You belong with us. You're my Bella, our Bella, and I can't wait to have a new brother or sister. For Ry's sake I hope it's a boy. I don't know if you've noticed Bella, but there is a distinct lack of males in the Cullen line." We giggled softly, but it was enough to wake Edward. He didn't say anything about Irina being in our bed. He just pulled me back against him, wrapping his arms around me before drifting back to sleep. I felt like a Bella sandwich with both Edward and Irina flanking me as I fell asleep._

_~~~End Flashback~~~_

After that night, the girls knew they were welcome to come to us as long as our door wasn't locked and as long as they did knock if it was closed. The readily agreed to those conditions as none of us wanted them to walk in on something they shouldn't see.

It was nice to spend time with them at the end of the day and they knew that if they needed to talk to us, they could come to us.

"How was school, girls?"

Irina sighed, "Boring! I don't know why we had to go. It was the last day before the Thanksgiving break, so it's not like we were doing anything anyway."

Kate thumped her sister's head, "Duh…Rin they wanted some 'alone' time."

"EWWWW" Irina twisted her face and we all laughed.

"Well that's something we aren't getting these days. Your Aunt Alice is driving me crazy. I'm hoping things won't be as crazy after the party Friday, but I'm not holding my breath. I kissed Edward's chin and sat up intending to start getting dinner ready.

"Whoa, headrush." Edward was up in a second holding me steady.

"I guess I spoke too soon about not having any symptoms, huh baby?" Edward asked Kate to get a wet cloth and asked Irina to get Riley up. He was starting to talk to us through the monitor. "Dada…Mamaaa…up. Wy up Dada. Up up up!"

And the quiet bubble has been burst again. I stood up slowly with Edward's help. He draped the wet washcloth over my neck and it helped immensely.

"I'm fine, baby. Would you go tend to Riley while I make sure we have everything I need for dinner?"

Edward insisted that we order out, especially because I would be feeding a small army

in the coming days. I was also sent to bed early to 'rest'. At least I didn't have to 'rest' alone, but after all that 'resting' I fell into a deep sleep.

With the help of Kate, Irina and Shelly we had the living room and dining room decorated with Curious George and all set for Friday afternoon's party. Our guest list was up to 17, including the five of us, Shelly and her husband, Esme, Carlisle, Charlie, Rose, Em and baby Emmaline, Alice and Jasper, Angela and Ben.

My soon to be husband and an already overprotective father kept saying it wasn't too late to cater the night, he didn't want me to exert myself. I was going to have to sedate him as I got further along in my pregnancy. I informed him that I was perfectly fine to cook for my family. It was Riley's first birthday and he would be eating my lasagna for the first time.

Friday morning dawned and I had slept very well. Edward sent me to bed early again, but much to my disappointment he didn't join me. He explained that he had one last present to assemble for Riley, then he'd come to bed. I had slept so soundly that I never heard when he came in, but I did feel the tickle of fingers down my back as he coaxed me to wake up.

"Wakey, wakey, love, it's Riley's birthday. Time to open presents."

He was so adorable, sitting in his pajama pants trying to wake me.

"Edward, honey it's not even seven o'clock. The sun isn't up yet, besides I thought Riley was opening his gifts with everyone tonight."

Edward nodded, "He is, I just need to show you this one present before everyone gets up. It's too big for the living room so I set it up out front."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You didn't get that play set I told you not to buy yet, did you?"

He shook his head, "No, sweetheart. I promised we'd wait for his third birthday for that one. I just had to get this one though. Please, come see." He pulled out the pout that would move mountains and I laughed.

"Alright, just let me have a moment in the bathroom and I'll be right out." I completed my morning routine in record time. Edward led me towards the front door, but before he opened it, he turned and said, "Just remember that I love you and our family very much." He then covered my eyes and led me outside.

"I love you, Bella." "I love you too, Edward." He was starting to freak me out. Not a good idea of something to do to a pregnant woman.

He removed his hands and sitting before me was a cream colored version of his new car, The Infinity QX56, with a giant red bow on the hood.

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen…" He tensed behind me, ready for my wrath. "What have you done?" I was really trying to keep a stern tone to my voice, but I could tell I was failing at it. "You know Riley won't be able to drive this for at least 15 years." I laughed and threw myself into his arms.

"You shouldn't have, ya know." He held me close, "You needed it, love. You are transporting precious cargo everyday." Because I was still wrapped around him, Edward ended up carrying me over to the driver's door.

"It's just like mine, Bella. The only difference is yours has a bench seat in the middle row. That gives you space for one more person." I had to give him the eye for that response. "In case you have Emmaline or something like that." He added trying to look innocent.

"Thank you sweetheart, I really love it. What will we do with the Navigator?"

"Ah, I thought perhaps we'd give it to Kate in February when she turns sixteen." I nodded my agreement to him.

I suddenly felt very naughty. "You know Edward, the rear seats fold flat, how would you like to test the shocks on this baby?" I wagged my eyebrows at him.

With a smirk he just said, "After you, love."

~O~O~O~O~

That evening surrounded by our family and friends we watched as Riley fisted his little banana cake in both hands and tried to put both fists in his mouth at the same time. I was taking picture after picture along with Esme. We wanted to make sure every moment was documented for his albums. Kate was bouncing with her joy that the Navigator would be hers in a few months. She was also pestering every adult male in the room to take her out driving.

"Kate," Charlie piped up, "You still need your license before you can get behind the wheel, but I'll talk to your dad about taking you out to the middle of nowhere to let you practice after Christmas, alright?"

"Thanks, Grandpa Charlie. Bella refuses to take me and Dad is nervous about it."

"Kate, you know why Bella won't, and I will take you, just let it wait until after the holidays." This was one occasion where I was actually grateful for Edward's

overprotectiveness. I wanted nothing to do with Kate being behind a wheel of a car.

Edward walked over, pulling me back against his chest and wrapping his arms around my waist. His palm rested over my abdomen. "Are you two alright?" He whispered against my ear. "Yeah, just a little tired. I may go to sleep after Riley is cleaned up. He's had such a great day."

Riley had been a little overwhelmed by all the people and all the presents but he had fun tearing everything open and one by one the toys were being played with and each person was getting a little time with the birthday boy.

"Just think, love. Next week at this time we will be relaxing in a large Jacuzzi tub all by ourselves, celebrating our marriage."

I turned in his arms. "I can't wait, my love."

~O~O~O~O~

_**Two regular chapters left. The next chapter is the wedding, Thanksgiving, and their weekend away.**_

_**I've added links to Bella's dress and engagement ring at my profile page.**_

_**Welcome to all my new readers. FanFiction is still having issues with review replies and right now the only option is to reply via PM, so please make sure you have them enabled on your profile or I will be unable to reply to your reviews.**_

_**I hope you enjoyed the chapter, Please leave a review.**_


	29. Chapter 29 Here Comes the Bride

_**AN: I apologize for the delay, RL threw a scare my way last week and my husband was hospitalized. Needless to say writing was not high on my priority list. Everyone is alright now so I was able to write.**_

_**Take a little wedding bliss add in a family holiday, a four day getaway and you get this chapter. Sadly I do not own the rights to Shania Twain's From This Moment, nor the rights to Nat King Cole's Unforgettable, though I wish I did.**_

_**As always, all Twilight references belong to Stephenie Meyer. I'm just playing with her character names. No copyright infringement intended.**_

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 28

Here Comes the Bride… the Bird… the Honeymoon

**EPOV**

Alice had been driving both Bella and I crazy in days leading up to Thanksgiving. Bella was exhausted, between work, planning Riley's birthday and all of the things my sister insisted Bella needed to make decisions on, she was just run down and falling into bed each night after dinner. Trying to explain to Ali that she needed to back off was a dangerous task, but a threat of taking Bella down to the courthouse for a civil ceremony was enough to have Alice give her a break. I was trying to help as much as I could, but Alice was adamant that I have nothing to do with the wedding preparations with the exception of getting my tuxedo and Riley's outfit. My only other role would be manual labor the morning of the wedding. So I was helping Bella in the other ways I could, around the house and with Riley. Kate and Irina were helping her as much as possible. They were so excited. I hadn't realized how much they missed having their mother. I had been their confidant, their protector, but even with all the other women in their lives they had missed having a mother's love.

Both Bella and I had been up since dawn, but for different reasons. Bella's morning sickness had kicked in with a passion three days ago, so she was still in the bathroom when Alice banged on our door at the ungodly hour of six o'clock.

"Edward, you need to leave now. Go help Jasper set up chairs, tie ribbons, whatever, but you won't see Bella again before she walks out on Charlie's arm."

I hated leaving Bella, especially now when she was not doing well.

"Ali, take it easy on her this morning. She's not feeling well. We have time so don't rush her, please."

I walked back into the bathroom to check on Bella and tell her I was being thrown out by the imp. "Are you feeling any better, love?" She was pale and a little shaky, but insisted she'd be fine. I watched as she brushed her teeth, avoiding her tongue.

"All it takes is touching the brush to my tongue and I gag. Thank god for mouthwash. You better go, baby, I hear Ali pacing outside. Love you." I kissed her briefly, very briefly because Alice was dragging me out of the room.

"Love you, Bella."

Alice was laughing as she tried pushing me out the door. "Damn Ali, at least let me say goodbye properly."

"You'll see her in a few hours. You can kiss her all you want to then."

After being tossed from my room, I spent the next few hours helping set everything up with Jasper and my father. Mom was in the kitchen with Shelly getting everything ready for this afternoon's Thanksgiving meal. Kate and Irina had taken Riley into my bedroom to help Bella get ready and Emmett was meeting Mr. Weber at the bakery to pick up our cake.

Before I knew it, I had to rush to get ready. I rushed through my shower, trying desperately to tame the mess on my head. After getting it to lay in some semblance of order I dressed in my tux, took our wedding bands out of the safe and was met at the bedroom door by my sister.

"I'm so happy for you, Big Brother. I've never seen you so alive. You are going to need to remember to breathe when you see Bella. She's just stunning. We've already taken photographs with Bella and the children, I want to take a few with you and the kids before we start."

She led me out onto the deck and finally being able to just observe everyone's hard work had me overwhelmed. I don't know how Alice did it, but with only three weeks of planning she managed to pull off a beautiful setting for our wedding. The backyard was beautiful. My mother insisted on setting up a large tent to protect us incase the weather turned. Our holiday meal was going to be our reception and tables had been set up under the tent as well as a dance floor. It would be an intimate but beautiful wedding. We were truly blessed by our family.

I smiled as I watched my children walk over to me. Kate and Irina were lovely in their dresses and Riley looked adorable in his little suit. After thirty minutes of pictures in various poses, I was left to stand under the arch with Rev. Weber and my father. Emmett had wanted to become ordained online to perform the ceremony, but with Angela in town with Ben, the Weber's had all been included in our holiday and Rev. Weber was thrilled to be able to marry us.

**BPOV**

"Kate…get me a few saltines, please." Alice had already reapplied my makeup twice because I had gotten sick. Irina was keeping Riley entertained while Alice did my hair.

"Bella there is nothing to be so nervous about. You and Edward are just formalizing what you've already been living." I should have been happy that for once it seemed Ali was being oblivious to the truth of my situation. The past couple of days I had been miserable for several hours each morning, afternoon and evening. Morning sickness is not an accurate name for what I am experiencing. It should be called All Day Sickness.

Kate came back with a glass of ginger ale and the requested crackers. Poor Edward had stocked up for me. Today was not a day to deal with pregnancy related sickness, but I wasn't going to get a chance to just sit still and allow the feelings to pass. Alice was on a tear and we were behind in her schedule. I watched and blotted the tears from my eyes as both girls dressed in their milk chocolate dresses with the mint accents. Irina had teased that while we dress shopped I was craving mint chocolate ice cream, she wasn't wrong, but the dresses were lovely and perfect for them. Edward's tux was ivory like my dress and after finding the girls dresses Alice ordered a brown vest and tie for him to wear. Riley's outfit had proven hard to find. Edward put in a call to a friend in Los Angeles whose wife owned a children's boutique. She sent us an adorable chocolate velvet Eton suit. With all of us coordinated we would have beautiful pictures if I could just stop throwing up.

Esme and Rose both came in to check on us, Rose carrying more crackers and a knowing smirk. I had a sneaking suspicion that our little secret wasn't so secret. Ben was taking photos as Esme, Alice and Angela helped me into my dress. Ben had offered his services as our wedding photographer and Alice jumped on it.

Esme was fighting tears as she helped me put on my jewelry. I wore a simple diamond pendant and diamond studs that were a wedding present from Edward. My engagement ring sat on my right hand until after the ceremony, it served as my something old and blue, Esme fastened a beautiful sapphire and diamond bracelet onto my wrist and told me, "Carlisle's mother loaned me this on my wedding day and this will be your 'something borrowed' on your wedding day. I hope you and Edward have a marriage that has been as long and happy as ours has. Today you truly become my daughter."

Alice was right there with tissues trying to stop my makeup from being ruined yet again.

Alice was making noises about taking the kids over to Edward for their pictures, but before they left I asked Ben to take one group shot of me with all of my girls and Riley.

Angela had been there my whole life and the other women had become my family a lifetime ago.

"I love you all so much. Thank you for doing everything you did to help Edward and I celebrate our marriage such a special way."

Alice led Kate, Irina and Riley out to meet Edward with Ben following them, Angela went to check on her parents and Rose needed to feed Baby Em so she went up to Riley's nursery. Esme waited with me. There was an extra gleam in her eyes.

"You have made us all so happy Bella, but most especially, Edward. It's been a long road for you both, but now you will be together forever." She hugged me to her, and I missed my mother so deeply at that moment. Esme would never replace my mom in my heart, but she was a mother to me nonetheless. I was thinking about my wonderful Edward, counting down the minutes, so I was not paying as much attention to what Esme was saying as I should have been.

"Has the morning sickness been bad today?"

"It's not too bad right now." I said before I realized it. I looked up and Esme was beaming. "Oh sweetheart, I'm so happy for you both."

"Esme… we were waiting until I was further along before saying anything. I'm only about 6 weeks at this point. We were holding out for Christmas, but it looks like we will need to make the announcement tonight. I can't believe I am already dealing with pregnancy brain!"

She pulled me into a hug before stepping back. "Don't worry, I won't say anything. You two announce it when you want to and with all the crazy wedding planning, you have had a lot on your mind, it's not necessarily pregnancy brain…yet."

There was a knock on the door and Charlie poked his head in before entering the room.

"It's time, baby girl. Are you sure about this? It isn't too late to make a run for it, though we'd have to fight a bunch of people to get to Riley."

His lips were curling under that mustache of his. "I'm more than ready, Daddy."

I could hear everyone outside. Besides all our family and the Weber family, Edward and I had invited Eric and Todd, Shelly and her husband. Sue and Seth Clearwater were here as well.

Kate, Irina and Riley were waiting for us just inside the French doors that led out to the deck. "Mamaa, Papa." Riley was excited, though he wasn't very happy with his little tie. He kept pulling at it. He was playing with a little green pillow with fake bands tied to it. Edward didn't want to take the chance that something would happen to our rings.

"You look beautiful, Bella. You'll take Dad's breath away."

I hugged both girls close to me. They were mine now, forever and always. "I love you both, so much."

The soft sounds of the song Edward and I chose started to play. We had spent several evenings listening to music and I happened to switch playlists on my iPod to an old list, Shania Twain's _From This Moment _started and with one look at Edward I knew this was the song that would bring me to him.

_From this moment life has begun__  
__From this moment you are the one __  
__Right beside you is where I belong__  
__From this moment on_

_From this moment I have been blessed__  
__I live only for your happiness__  
__And for your love I'd give my last breath__  
__From this moment on__  
__[ Lyrics from: .com/lyrics/s/shania_twain/from_this_ ]__  
__I give my hand to you with all my heart__  
__Can't wait to live my life with you, can't wait to start__  
__You and I will never be apart__  
__My dreams came true because of you_

_From this moment as long as I live__  
__I will love you, I promise you this__  
__There is nothing I wouldn't give__  
__From this moment on_

_You're the reason I believe in love__  
__And you're the answer to my prayers from up above__  
__All we need is just the two of us__  
__My dreams came true because of you_

_From this moment as long as I live__  
__I will love you, I promise you this__  
__From this moment__  
__I will love you as long as I live__  
__From this moment on_

Kate and Irina walked out with Riley between them. At the start of the second verse, Charlie walked me out the doors to meet Edward under an arch that Alice had decorated with ferns and flowers. I knew that everything was beautiful, but I only had eyes for the gorgeous man that waited for me.

My father placed my hand into Edward's outstretched one and I watched as the two men I loved the most, outside of Riley, embraced. Edward and I stood in front of Rev. Weber as the song finished. His eyes were glistening as mine were. I was so filled with love for Edward that I was barely able to contain it.

We chose to do a very traditional short ceremony, as much as I would have loved to write our own vows, I never would have made it through them. Kate took my bouquet from me as Edward and I turned to face each other and recite the vows that would bind us legally and spiritually before God and our family.

Even through the vows everyone is so familiar with, tears fell as first Edward then I promised our love and support through sickness and health, for richer or poorer, for as long as we both shall live.

When Carlisle handed the rings to Reverend Weber, tears fell even harder. I couldn't help but grin like the Cheshire cat as Edward slid the white gold band on my ring finger saying, "With this ring, I thee wed."

Once Edward's ring was on his hand he didn't even wait for the pronouncement that we were husband and wife before sweeping me into his arms to kiss.

We lost ourselves in that first kiss as husband and wife, and it wasn't until Carlisle coughed and Riley squealed that we pulled away to look at each other.

"Friends, family, it gives me great pleasure to present Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cullen."

Irina, Kate and Riley rushed into our arms to hug and congratulate us. Carlisle and my father were next to give us well wishes and soon Alice was pulling us down the steps and over to the tent.

Edward paused outside and told Alice to give us a minute. He looked at me, "God, Love. You're gorgeous, a vision, and all mine. I love you so much Mrs. Cullen."

He bent to kiss me and I wrapped my arms around his neck. We both heard the clicks from Ben's camera. Alice had obviously gone to get him for more pictures. We took a few more moments for ourselves before acknowledging the others and posing for pictures. The last photo taken was of the five of us: Kate, Edward, Riley, me and Irina. Edward had Riley in one arm with his other arm wrapped around my waist and his hand resting over my stomach.

After all of the photos had been taken, Edward, the girls and I went back up to the house to change. We were about to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with our family and despite Alice's insistence that we remain in our wedding clothing until after we ate and danced and cut the cake, we wanted to be comfortable and I didn't want to worry about Riley getting food on my dress.

"Edward, I think we are going to have to make the announcement tonight about the baby." He looked up from where he was undressing to give me a puzzled glance. "Why, love?"

"Rose has an idea and your mom caught me off-guard and asked about my morning sickness. She knows…I won't be able to hide my reactions much longer. Let's tell everyone here and worry about others later on." He nodded, kissing my forehead before pulling out his clothes.

Edward changed into khakis and a brown sweater, Kate and Irina put on jeans and brown turtlenecks, I changed into a long ivory skirt and sweater set and then put Riley in a sweater and jeans. We finally settled at the center table of three large banquet tables that formed a U. This way we could all converse and be together without sectioning off into smaller 'clicks'.

"Ali, thank you for all of your hard work, everything was simply perfect." Edward pulled my seat out and I sat as he went to help his parents and Shelly bring out the food. My mouth was watering with the smells of the roasted turkey and vegetables, unfortunately however, Emmett walked behind me carrying a platter of the sliced fried turkey. The smell from the oil was enough to trigger a wave of nausea. I barely made it to the half-bath off the kitchen. Edward met me there with a cool cloth.

"I'm so sorry, love. I wish there was something I could do for you." He held my hair back as I continued to heave. After rinsing my mouth and letting my face cool off, Edward and I walked back to the tent. I assured everyone I was fine. As dishes were passed so everyone could fill their plates, Edward was wise enough to keep the fried turkey from me.

Once everyone had filled their plates, Carlisle stood up. "This year we have much to be thankful for. We have new family members in Charlie, Bella and Riley. The happiness we all just witnessed as Edward and Bella joined their lives together, Emmett and Rosalie becoming parents with the birth of little Emmaline. As a tradition in our family we will go around and say what we are most thankful for before we eat." He looked over at Edward, "Son, do you wish to begin?" Edward whispered in my ear. Let's tell them now. There are a couple of doctors on hand incase your father freaks and wants to kill me." With a quick kiss, we both stood.

Edward cleared his throat. "Bella and I are so grateful you all agreed to spend this holiday with us. You are all family to us, whether by blood, marriage or friendship, you mean the world to us and we are thankful you were here to witness our marriage."

His voice was filled with emotion that he tried so hard to hold back.

I looked at everyone that we held dear. "We are happy and grateful that you all have supported us as we found our way back together and built our family. Edward and I are truly blessed to have you all in our lives and that is why we wanted you all to be the first to hear our happy news." Edward pulled me in front of him so that I could lean back into his chest. His arms encircled my waist and as he started to speak his hands settled on my stomach again.

"A few weeks ago, Bella and I put the legal proceedings into motion to formally amend Riley's birth record. For that to happen, a paternity test was performed and Bella, Riley and I all had blood drawn. Soon after we were notified that something had shown up on one test." He looked at me and I took a deep breath before we both said, "We're pregnant!"

Esme, Alice, Rose and Angela were out of their seats congratulating us. I chanced a look at my father and all I saw was the mile wide smile on his face.

"I'm happy for you, baby girl. Are you feeling alright?" I nodded. Edward shifted me in his arms, but never letting me go. We sat to eat so the food wouldn't get cold as everyone said what they were thankful for. The last to give their thanks were Kate and Irina. They were sitting just to our left with Riley between them. "Grandpa was right when he said this year has given us so much to be thankful for. Kate and I have a new little brother, another on the way, our father has been the happiest he's ever been in our memory." Irina was wearing the biggest grin, but her eyes filled with tears. Kate looked at her sister and started speaking, "We are all much happier now. There is one person who is responsible for bringing the happiness back to us." They both looked at me and walked behind both Edward and I. "She's the best thing to happen to us." I felt both their arms wrap around my shoulders.

"I love you, girls, so much." I kissed each of their heads and heard a reply that caused my tears to flow again.

"We love you too, Momma."

I gasped and looked to Edward to see his reaction. He just sat back with a smug look of happiness on his face. I was a sobbing mess as I pulled them both into hugs. As we all enjoyed the rich holiday meal our conversations ranged from school stories with the girls to hospital horror stories with Carlisle. I spoke with Esme about what needed to be kept track of while we were gone. The girls headed back to school Monday and Edward and I were due back home Monday night. Shelly was taking a mini vacation this weekend as well so the kids would be their grandparents' sole responsibility.

Edward had still not told me where we were going. The only thing he shared was that he'd changed his plans from a romantic Napa getaway to a resort where we wouldn't be disturbed. Alice had packed a few days worth of clothing for me as well as Edward's clothes. Everything was in the car and we were heading out soon.

Before we could get away though, Alice dragged me and Edward to the table where our beautiful cake sat. Mrs. Weber had truly outdone herself. It was a lovely two tiered cake done in pale mint green fondant with a wide brown ribbon wrapped at the bottom of each tier. In place of the bride and groom topper was a large sterling silver 'C' with a smaller 'E' on one side and an 'I' on the other. I had forbidden Alice to put the 'I' first. I didn't want my cake to say 'ICE' on it. Edward behaved himself when he offered me the first bite of our cake. I did take his index finger into my mouth though, to clean the frosting from it. I however could not resist smashing his bite into his face a little. He took it all in stride, especially after I helped him clean it up by kissing it off.

We were required by Alice to dance to a few songs. Edward had surprisingly chosen yet another country song for our first dance. Usually we both steered clear of country, but Lonestar's _Amazed_, was a beautiful choice.

For the Father/Daughter dance, I chose _Butterfly Kisses _by Bob Carlisle. My father was very emotional as we slowly swayed to the music.

"I'm so happy for you Bella. You've found the right place for you and Edward will be so good to you. I know this is forever. You belong together."

Edward stepped back in for one more dance before we were to leave. The unmistakable sounds of Nat King Cole's _Unforgettable_ began to play and Edward began to sing as we danced.

_Unforgettable__  
__That's what you are,__  
__Unforgettable__  
__Tho' near or far._

_Like a song of love that clings to me,__  
__How the thought of you does things to me.__  
__Never before__  
__Has someone been more..._

_Unforgettable__  
__In every way,__  
__And forever more__  
__That's how you'll stay._

_That's why, darling, it's incredible__  
__That someone so unforgettable__  
__Thinks that I am__  
__Unforgettable, too.__  
_

"I can't wait to get you alone. I'm so happy you said yes, love. Let's finish the dance, kiss our children and get out of here." I nodded and then tilted my head up to kiss him passionately. "Yes."

_Unforgettable__  
__In every way,__  
__And forever more__  
__That's how you'll stay._

_That's why, darling, it's incredible__  
__That someone so unforgettable__  
__Thinks that I am__  
__Unforgettable, too._

With one last lingering kiss, we parted as the song ended. "Thank you all for joining us today, for sharing our family's joy and being with us on this particular Thanksgiving. Bella and I have loved spending the day with you, but it's time for us to leave for our flight." Edward kissed each girl before moving to his parents while I said goodbye to Kate and Irina.

"Thank you both for accepting me and loving me as much as I love you. Please be careful this weekend, look after Riley and listen to your grandparents. I'm sure Dad will come over to visit as well. No boys in the house while we are gone." I kissed them both and with big hugs to my father and my new in laws and a few minutes kissing Riley's sleeping head, Edward led me out to his car.

We were both giddy with happiness as we fastened our seatbelts and Edward started the car. "Well Mrs. Cullen, are you ready for pampering?" He took my hand and brought it to his mouth.

"Pampering sounds nice, as long as you are going to be pampered as well. Care to tell me where we are going?"

"Right now? We're diving to Port Angeles, where we will board a plane for an hour flight to a small airport thirty minutes from our destination." He laughed at my disgruntled expression.

"I wish we had time to go to Italy right now my love, but with the holidays so close and the baby…I didn't feel comfortable leaving just yet. I had planned a Napa Valley Winery/Spa getaway, but that's not much fun for you since you cannot drink."

"Sweetheart, it really doesn't matter where we are as long as I am with you."

Thirty minutes later we are parking at the small airport in Port Angeles. Edward takes our large Pullman suitcase as well as the overnight case in one hand, my hand in the other.

"We're taking a charter flight, love. It's the only way to get there without spending eight plus hours in the car."

Once we had settled into our seats and the luggage had been stowed, Edward wrapped his arms around me telling me to rest until we landed. Taking a nap sounded like a great idea, because the last thing I wanted to do that night was sleep.

"Bella love, wake up. We're here sweetheart." The only problem with naps, sometimes you wake up more tired than when you fell asleep.

"Where are we?" Edward was smiling as he led me out of the plane. Our luggage was sitting beside a car on the tarmac.

"Welcome to Redmond, Oregon, love. We're driving to the Sunriver Resort about thirty miles from here where we will enjoy a romantic four nights. There is plenty to do outside of the villa, but I have plenty of ideas for while we are in it."

~o~o~o~

The resort was spectacular. You could tell that it was normally very busy in the spring and summer with the lake and trails, but even at the end of November, the weather was nice, the leaves were beautiful in their Autumnal glory and the best part, we were on our own in the River lodge.

Edward had booked a lovely suite that looked out over the river and the mountains. We enjoyed sitting on our balcony wrapped in just a blanket and each other, watching the sun set and the colors in the sky changing from blue to yellow, orange, red and then purple before going back inside and dividing our time between the large Jacuzzi tub or the feather mattress that lay in front of the fireplace in the living area.

It wasn't until our third morning there, Sunday, that Edward and I ventured to the main lodge and into the Spa. We had a couples massage along with manicures and pedicures. I did laugh as Edward assured the woman he didn't need polish for his nails. After a delicious lunch we went back to our room to dress. He had made reservations for later that night in the restaurant, but first we were going to enjoy the mild temperatures and walk along the lake.

"It's been a magical time here, my wonderful husband, thank you for bringing me here."

He chuckled, saying, "That's your new favorite word…husband, you use it at least twenty times a day since we've been here. I love hearing it and I love being here with you."

It was nice to be with just Edward, but I had to admit I was missing the girls and my sweet baby boy. Riley had thoroughly wrapped his Grandma Esme and *ahem* his 'Nana' Sue around his fingers. Kate or Irina would check in with us once a day just to assure me, the worrying mama that all of her kiddies were just fine.

Our relaxed schedule along with the zero stress days actually helped a great deal with my morning sickness. I found that the mornings we lazed about I wouldn't get sick as bad as I had been. Edward and I enjoyed each other and the peace of being just Edward and Bella, or as Edward just stated, 'husband' and 'wife'. I loved that he was mine in every way.

Our last night we had a picnic and Edward played a melody for me on a guitar. I'm not sure where he got it, but the melody was sweet and something completely new.

"When did you write this, Edward? It's beautiful." He smiled and continued strumming the strings of the guitar.

"I started this piece the day after you agreed to marry me. I heard this in my head and had to get it down."

"You will have to write a new piece for this baby, now. Do you have any ideas?"

He nodded, "Yes, but I'll wait until the time gets closer and we know more about the baby."

We watched as the sun set for our final day at Sunriver and then Edward and I made love into the night, under the stars.

It was bittersweet leaving the resort the next morning. While I would have loved to stay another week with my husband, I was anxious to return home to our children and extended family.

It was early evening by the time we made it through our front door. We were rushed by not just Riley, but Kate and Irina as well.

"Mamaa Dada", "Momma, Daddy", "Mom, Dad" we were greeted by first our little man, then Irina gave both her father and I big hugs and then Kate welcomed us home with kisses.

Carlisle and Esme greeted us as we joined them in the den.

"Hey kids! Have a good time on your honeymoon?" Carlisle tried hard not to laugh as Esme was flashing her son's smirk.

It was good to be home.

~O~O~O~O~O~

**Again sorry for the posting delay, believe me when I say I would have rather been writing than worrying and stressing for the last week. I am so happy that things have settled down again at home.**

**So they finally did it. I didn't want to completely skim the wedding but I have red wedding after wedding in all the fics I've read and it's not necessary to go into great detail all the time.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next chapter will sadly be the last regular chapter with an Epilogue that will follow.**

**I also added links to Edward's, the girls' and Riley's attire for the wedding as well as the resort to my profile page.**

**Hi to all my new readers and thanks to all of those who have been reading from the beginning. **

**Let me hear what you think.**


	30. Chapter 30

_**AN: I've changed my mind about this chapter too many times to count. **_

_**This story is almost at its close and I am getting a little sentimental about it.**_

_**Thank you all for coming along on this ride and being so supportive.**_

_**As always all things Twilight belong to SM, no copyright infringement intended.**_

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 29

Christmas as a Cullen

**BPOV**

"Rin, would you please take Riley upstairs for his bath?" I was sitting on the floor in the living room trying to wrap the last few presents, _trying_ being the operative word. Riley was captivated by all of the boxes, paper and bows. I sighed in relief as Irina scooped him up, "Sure thing, Momma." It still gave me a thrill to hear them call me that. "Let's get you clean, little man. Momma and Daddy are taking us on a trip tomorrow.

All of our family presents were already wrapped and stored in the cottage basement waiting for 'Santa' to bring them over. We had two weeks until Christmas Eve, but we were all flying out to Los Angeles in the morning. It was a working trip for Edward, but he did promise his evenings for his family.

I was hoping to use a little of his free time for some couple time during the trip. After returning from Oregon the morning sickness just wiped me out. I barely had enough energy to edit the articles and take care of Riley. Edward was very understanding and had been taking care of me and the kids, but I was missing that connection to him.

Thankfully Esme brought me some kind of ginger candy that helped soothe my stomach when the nausea would start. I was sucking on them most of the day but it was better than the alternative. Not only was the nausea gone, but after I started the prenatal vitamins I had a little more energy and I knew just what I wanted to do with that energy later.

"How are you feeling, love? It looks like you have everything under control, can I help with anything?" Edward sat behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I leaned back into his chest and sighed.

"No, I'm finishing the last present now. I did have to send Riley upstairs with Rini, though. I swear we shouldn't put anything under the tree but boxes and bows for him, that's all he's going to play with." I finished wrapping the last box, reveling in the feel of Edward's hands rubbing my back.

"That feels wonderful, sweetheart. What do you say to putting Riley in his bed for the night, telling the girls not to stay up late and then going into our room? Hmmm? I want to be with you Edward, it's been too long and I'm very sorry about that."

He helped me to my feet, pulling me into his arms. "Love, it's not your fault. We have all the time in the world to make love. Right now your body's energy is being used for something more important, but if you are feeling up to it, I won't deny you…"His smirk was in full force.

We checked to make sure everything was locked up and the alarms were set before walking up to the second floor. Riley was almost asleep when we walked into the nursery. Irina was rocking him in the chair.

I took him from her, thanking her for the help. After kisses from Mommy and Daddy Riley was off to sleep and we quietly left his room.

"Really, Rin, thanks for helping out, I'd have never gotten finished the way Riley was playing with the paper." I gave her a hug and kiss goodnight before walking over to Kate's room to tell her we were turning in and that she needed to get to sleep as well. Edward was saying goodnight to Rini and reminding her of the predawn departure for the airport.

It was only just after eight o'clock, but since we had to be on the road in the morning by four, everyone needed an early night.

As Edward and I walked down to our room, I went over the checklist in my head again. "You've loaded all the bags in the car? The stroller is still there? I've got clothes set out for all of us and will pack everyone's tooth brushes in the diaper bag in the morning."

Edward placed a finger over my mouth to stop me. "Love, everything is taken care of. If we forget anything we'll just pick it up there, don't worry so much."

I sighed walking over to where I laid out my clothes for the morning rush. "It's just that this trip is really our first trip as a family. I want everything to go as smoothly as possible."

Edward pulled me back against his chest and trailed sweet kisses from my ear to my neck. "Love, relax, everything will be fine and even though this will be a work trip for me I will have all of you there to make it better."

His hands started to wander and reawaken the desire that had been simmering all afternoon. I turned in his arms, threading my fingers through his hair and bringing his mouth down to mine. This kiss was neither sweet nor chaste. It was fiery, deep and filled with our passion for each other. Edward's hands worked their way below my sweater running up my sides and lifted it off of me. My breasts had gotten bigger and more sensitive already and Edward took his time appreciating the changes. I managed to get his shirt unbuttoned and pushed it over his shoulders, but it remained caught on his wrists as he had not taken his hands from my body.

Only when I struggled to release his belt did he back up and strip the shirt and his remaining clothing off. I walked over to our bed, slipping my leggings off leaving me in just my underwear.

"Mmm, you know how much I love you in blue, Bella." The lacy blue boy-shorts were all I was wearing as Edward joined me on the bed.

"These are definitely one of my favorites, but they need to go." As he slipped his fingers under the waistband, he grazed my stomach and froze. "Bella?" He was rubbing and lightly pressing my abdomen.

"I noticed it this morning." Even though I was just over nine weeks, I woke this morning to notice that my stomach had a slight rounding to it. I didn't show for several months with Riley, but at out appointment with Dr Philips two weeks before he'd mentioned that second pregnancies may sometimes show earlier than first pregnancies.

"Wow, you can't tell unless you really know what to look for, but that's our baby." He placed a kiss on my stomach before moving up the bed to pull me into his arms.

What had started as a passionate explosion quickly became a loving joining. Edward removed my panties, trailing kisses back up my legs. He used his hands to give him more room as he kissed up my thighs moving closer to where I desired his mouth the most.

The feel of his tongue working my most sensitive flesh was too much for my system. Edward was relentless as my orgasm ripped through me. Only after I was trying to control my breathing did Edward move over me and slowly sink inside. We both moaned as he slipped in, filling me completely. Edward set a slow, languorous pace just rocking slowly against me. Our kisses were long leaving us panting as our hands roamed seeking purchase on our sweat covered bodies.

Our climaxes were soft and low keyed coming just before we fell asleep, still joined together.

~o~o~o~

The next morning the alarm went off, waking me and Edward. We showered quickly and after pulling on a long sleeved t-shirt and sweater over my comfortable and stretch yoga pants, I left Edward to make breakfast as I went to wake the girls. They changed into their clothes and gathered what they would be carrying on the plane. Riley was still sleeping and I just changed his diaper, leaving him in his pajamas until later at the airport.

It was three thirty in the morning and none of us were particularly hungry, but Edward wrapped up bagel sandwiches for all of us, grabbed water bottles and juice and put it all in the car. After double checking that I had enough clothes and diapers as well as a couple of empty sippy cups in the diaper bag, I carried Riley, wrapped in a blanket, downstairs and out to the car. The girls were settled in the seats and already falling asleep by the time Edward joined us.

"We're all set, the alarm is on, Emmett is going to check on the house while we are gone and the mail is on hold. Let's go to California."

Traveling with a baby is hard enough but add in two cranky teenagers to the mix and forget about it. After we parked at the airport, Edward got a cart and loaded our luggage while I settled Riley into his stroller and Kate took his car seat. Riley would sit in our laps on the flight as we thought it would help to keep him calm, but we were gate checking the seat and stroller so they wouldn't be lost.

Kate was complaining about being tired and Irina, bless her was dragging Katie towards the nearest coffee kiosk to buy coffee and tea for us, I wouldn't be able to get a caffeine kick, but I still loved my coffee, even if it was decaf.

While we waited to board the plane I took Riley into the restroom to dress him. Thankfully he was excited by all of the chaos at the airport and not freaked out by it. He waved to everyone and said "Hi". He was pouring on the Cullen charm and all the ladies were eating it up. If he could channel his daddy at the age of one, we were going to be in BIG trouble once he was a teenager.

Our flight began to board the first class passengers and Edward, carrying Riley, Irina and Katie stood to board. I pushed the stroller to the end of the walkway leaving it to be loaded onto the plane. After being shown to my seat Edward helped me get settled and then passed Riley to me. Kate and Irina had already pulled their iPods out and were listening to music, Edward filled a cup for Riley and handed me a pacifier. We hoped he would be able to equalize the pressure in his ears by himself otherwise we'd all be in for a miserable flight.

"He'll be fine, love. Just let him suck on the pacifier now and he shouldn't have an issue." I passed Riley back to Edward and curled into his side. I was exhausted and could feel myself drifting off as the plane was taxiing down the runway.

"Bella, love, wake up. We are going to be landing soon." Edward was speaking to me and gently shaking my arm.

I snapped awake. "Where's the baby?" I looked around and spotted Irina holding him across the aisle. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry I didn't mean to fall asleep on you." I was still groggy from my nap, but felt terrible about leaving everything to him.

"Its fine, sweetheart. Riley slept a little and the girls have been fine. Don't worry so much, love. It isn't good for you or the baby."

We waited for everyone else to disembark before leaving ourselves. That made it easier to get Riley settled into his stroller and move towards baggage claim. The girls and I collected our luggage while Edward and Riley arranged for our rental car. It took an hour of battling Los Angeles traffic before we pulled up in front of the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills. Usually on a trip Edward would stay in Burbank near the studios, but he wanted to treat us all so he reserved one of the two room suites. The hotel supplied a complimentary car service so Edward would use one of their cars leaving the rental with me.

As the porters took our luggage and the valet took the car, I turned to my very generous husband. "Sweetheart this is too much. It's beautiful, but we could have stayed somewhere less…" I trailed off as he pulled out the pout. "Alright, alright, let's get checked in and into our rooms." Edward only wanted the best for his family and I would let him spoil us if he wanted, to a degree.

I almost changed my mind on that once we had been taken up to our room, which took up about four times the space of a normal room. "Welcome to the Royal Suite Mr. and Mrs. Cullen." When the bellboy said, I whipped my head around to glare at Edward.

After setting up the port-a-crib for Riley in the girls' room and setting our bags in each bedroom the bellboy excused himself with the tip Edward offered.

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, why on earth did you book the Royal Suite? We don't need this much space." Really there was everything you could possibly need in an apartment available here, with the exception of a kitchen.

"Love, we are here to relax and this was the only suite aside from the Presidential suite that had more than one bedroom. The hotel is providing a babysitter to watch Riley when you and the girls use the spa facilities, and if we wanted to go out a sitter is also provided.

I don't want you to have to worry about a thing while we are here. Room service will bring up a full family breakfast for us each morning as well as dinner if we don't want to go out."

I loved him like crazy, but the extravagance was going to kill me. We settled into the hotel, each of us showering and changing out of our travel clothes. "I don't have to be at the studios until tomorrow afternoon, so how would you all like a tour of the area. We can drive through Bel Air, down into Hollywood, wherever you would like to go. The girls only had one request, the wanted to see Grauman's Chinese Theater to look at all the celebrity prints. They had also wanted their father to take them to the Soho House, but we explained it was a private club and he wasn't a member, also it wasn't Edward's type of place. Kate and Irina hoped to get an up close glimpse of the newest Hollywood heartthrob while we were visiting.

I promised I would take the girls down to Rodeo during the week and let them stroll through the shops, as long as Riley was up for it. We all sat in the dining area enjoying our lunch before heading out.

After living in California for several years, and then coming back after living in Forks, I realized the only thing I missed was the sunny weather. It's now a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live anywhere but where my family was, and that would be Forks, Washington. Edward took us up into Bel Air, the road twisting higher and higher. The houses- what you could see of them were gorgeous but enormous. I could not imagine living in a house that seemed to sit precariously on the cliff side of the road. We then drove through Beverly Hills and admired the neighborhoods. I was tired and getting hungry so we drove back over to the hotel after promising to order some Chinese food from a place he frequented on his trips.

I woke to Edward laying me on the bed in our room. "What happened? How did I get here?"

He sat beside me brushing the hair from my face, "Shh, love, you're fine. You fell asleep on the drive back and I hated to wake you. The girls have Riley and are getting him ready for bed. Our dinner will be delivered in a few minutes so just relax. Are you still hungry?" When I nodded he smiled, "Ok, just rest a while longer and I'll let you know when dinner is here."

I guess the excitement and preparations of the trip had just wiped me out.

**EPOV**

I was worried.

Sleepiness because of pregnancy was one thing, but Bella had just conked out. She wasn't even aware I was carrying her out of the car, through the hotel, where more than one employee had asked if she was alright, up the elevator and into our room.

If this continued I would call Todd myself. Perhaps she was anemic or needed another supplement. I prayed that everything would go alright with this pregnancy. I left Bella to rest and asked the girls to get Riley situated in the highchair so I could feed him his dinner before ours arrived. He was falling asleep in his carrots and bananas ten minutes later, so after cleaning his face and changing his diaper I put him down for the night. Since he was sleeping with the girls in the second bedroom they were going to hang out in the living room until they were ready to sleep.

Our food arrived and the smell of egg rolls and fried rice pulled Bella from her slumber.

I was relieved to see she looked refreshed and energized. "Perfect timing, love, I was just about to come wake you. Riley is already in bed and we are about to devour this food. The evening was nice; there were some board games in the entry closet so Kate and Rini went to choose a game for us. Bella seemed completely normal, though she did keep staring at me. We spent the next couple of hours enjoying time with the girls before finally calling it a night and heading to bed.

I had just come out of the bathroom after brushing my teeth when I was pushed back into the door by a fiery Bella. "Hmmm, so what does my sexy Mrs. Cullen plan to do tonight?" It seemed she was wearing my shirt and nothing else.

"Oh, I plan on doing a lot of things tonight, Mr. Cullen. All I can tell you is that it's a good thing you don't have to be in until after lunch. You'll need some time to sleep."

~o~o~o~

Bella was up early the next morning. She was right about me needing sleep. We were up late or rather early into the morning and though she had quite a bit of extra sleep yesterday, I had not. I hated to admit it, but I was getting older. I would be thirty-eight in June, and I just wasn't as young as I used to be. In my twenties, I had the recovery of a teenager, and though Bella made me feel like I was seventeen again, my body protested the abuse sometimes.

"Go back to sleep, sweetheart. I'm going to order our breakfast and get the kids up. I'm taking them out to a couple of museums this afternoon and Kate and Rini wanted to swim this morning." I pulled her down to me giving her a deep goodbye kiss. "Wake me by eleven alright, love?" She nodded and kissed my forehead before turning and walking out the door. I swear I could have sat there and watched the sway of her hips all day.

Late in the evening, Bella and I left Kate and Rini in the room watching their sleeping brother, to go up to the rooftop restaurant and bar. We enjoyed dancing together for a while before taking our drinks over to the railing to just take in the view of downtown Los Angeles one direction and Bel Air in the other.

"Are you happy, Bella?" I don't know why that popped out, I knew she was happy. We had both been on cloud nine for the last few months.

She looked at me with her eyebrows furrowed. "Of course, Edward, I've never been happier than I am right this minute and it is all because of you." I took her into my arms and stared out into the night. "I am too, my love. The past several months have been the happiest I have ever been. I had a wonderful marriage to Tanya, she gave me my beautiful daughters, but I know I survived the pain of losing her because you were there to help me through it. I know deep in my bones that I would never survive if something were to happen to you. So please, please bear with me if I come across as too overbearing or overprotective of you or the children. I know I have a tendency to overreact at times, as you well know, but I am always only thinking of ways to save you worry and problems. You and our children, all of them," I rubbed her stomach, "are my world. I love you."

~o~o~o~

Our time in California was drawing to a close. We had enjoyed ourselves touring the city, the shops, even taking the kids to see the Christmas Winter Wonderland that Disneyland had created this year. Our last night was spent at the very club my teenage daughters wished to visit; only they were sorely disappointed as the private club had been reserved by my clients. No famous actors or actresses, singers or comedians that they would be interested were there, but I was very proud of the way Kate and Irina both conducted themselves. We had left Riley with the hotel's sitter for the evening. Bella was very popular with my coworkers and they let slip my surprise for her.

"Edward, sweetheart, what is this about a song?" She looked so beautiful tonight in a long flowing silver dress. It clung to her breasts and drew my eyes there before falling away, not hugging her curves but draping her body to perfection.

I cleared my throat, glaring at the ones that let it slip. "Um, well love, see… Well it isn't really a song; it's actually something I've been working on for months." When she only stared up at me I took her hand, leading her around towards a piano that was in a sitting area. "Sit with me, Bella?"

I helped her sit at the bench with me as I settled beside her and played a few scales to check the piano's tune. I played very softly the piece I had been working on.

When it was finished I looked over to Bella and saw tears in her eyes.

"I started this the day after I proposed. It's about the start of our new life, our new beginning. I've incorporated bits of your lullaby along with the song I wrote for Riley. There are measures from Kate and Irina's songs as well. I've taken them and mixed them all into the beginning of the Cullen composition. It's something that I probably won't finish for years as our life grows and changes. I want this to reflect our life together. You and the children are the music to my soul and though the arrangement may change over time the melody of our life won't."

She was weeping softly now. "Shh, love, please don't cry."

"Happy tears, Edward, very happy tears."

"This is already the best Christmas we've ever had and it's just the first of many more."

O~O~O~O

_**I went back and forth sever times about how to write out this last chapter and in the end I have two completely written chapters. So I decided to post a shorter additional chapter on Friday and the Epilogue will be up next Wednesday. Thank you all so much for reading this story. It has been a great experience and I will miss these two a lot.**_


	31. Chapter 31

_**This is it, the last regular chapter of How Can I Help You? **_

_**All things Twilight were created by Stephenie Meyer. I'm just playing with her characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**_

How Can I Help You?

Chapter 30

**BPOV**

"Welcome to Sparkle, my name is Amy. How can I help you?" A young girl I recognized from Kate's class greeted me as I walked into the store. Ok so the walk has become a waddle, I'm just grateful to be up and moving around for longer that 20 minutes a day. I didn't get the chance to respond to Amy before I heard…

"Isabella Marie Cullen, what on Earth are you doing here? Edward is going to have a stroke. Aren't you supposed to be home in bed?" Alice came rushing to the front of the store.

"No, Ali. I just left the doctor's office and Todd eased the bed rest restrictions a little. Edward knows where I am and Shelly is with Riley in the car, I just wanted to come in and pick up the outfits and accessories I ordered for the girls." Edward's birthday was less than a week away and Alice was helping me plan his party.

"Right, I'll get the bags while you wait here. I don't want you moving more than you have too."

I had not had the easiest of pregnancies this go round. Edward had become worried about the extent of my exhaustion as it progressed and during my February check up Dr. Philips told me my iron was low. He changed my prenatal vitamin to help with that, but he also wanted to keep an eye on my blood pressure. I was eating correctly, taking care of myself, but over the next month my pressures started to creep up. The third week of March I passed out while getting ready to take a shower. Thankfully Edward was standing with me and prevented a fall. It was at the hospital that Todd lowered the boom.

~o~O~o~

"_Bella, you're showing all the signs of preeclampsia. Your blood pressure has continued to rise at a steady rate, you have swelling and there is protein in your urine. We're keeping you over night, and starting you on a couple of medications that will help keep your pressures lower."_

_I gasped, "What about the baby, will he be alright?" Edward grabbed my hand and tried to soothe me. "Calm down, love. You need to stay relaxed."_

_Todd looked at us. "I know you are scared, but while the only cure for this is to deliver the baby. I'll keep a very close eye on you and with the medications and bed rest I am prescribing, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you and your baby are fine. Just try to stay calm. I'll go put in these orders and check on you a little later."_

_Edward was my rock and he kept me strong for our little boy. We had been scheduled for an ultrasound the week following my fainting spell to find out the sex, but when I was admitted they ran to check the baby's development and we found out then._

_We had not been given the opportunity to celebrate the news then, but a week later we did. Everything seemed to settle down again. _

_I had been playing with Riley on our bed when Edward came in to join us. "How are you feeling, my love?"_

"_Bored…it gets tiresome staying in here all the time. Can't you take me upstairs, I'll lie on the sofa and listen to you work. I promise not to move, please Edward. I don't know how I'm going to make it through to July like this."_

_I grew tired of being in bed all the time, but I knew it was what I needed to do to ensure a healthy baby._

_I often begged Edward to take me up to the studio so I could listen to him play, but he would say no. Then later in the evening he would bring his electric piano down to play for me. Edward surprised me though. He took Riley telling me he'd be back._

_I wasn't waiting long. He walked in and after arranging the bedcovers he slipped his arms around my waist and under my legs._

"_Now I don't want you to get your hopes up about this being a regular thing. I don't want us upstairs too much if something happens." He carried me up the two flights of stairs and did not seem to be winded._

"_Thank you for letting me up here. I've missed this." I kissed his jaw, trying to distract him a little. Edward had been so focused on my health and wellbeing the last few weeks and I wanted to alleviate some of that worry._

"_You are taking such great care of all of us, sweetheart. I really appreciate it." As we walked into the studio I started to cry. There were candles lit everywhere and rose petals trailed from the door to the center of what looked like a queen sized bed set up where the sitting area used to be._

"_We didn't get to celebrate the news about the baby because of …well I wanted to find a way for us to celebrate but also keep your pressures low. We are staying up here tonight, the kids are staying with my parents for the next couple of days and I'm going to tend to you." He settled me against a mountain of pillows. "This is our time to revel in the fact that we are the parents of two beautiful girls and soon the proud parents of two adorable boys."_

_True to his word, Edward and I stayed up in the studio for two days. He would bring food up and I only left to use the restroom. We cuddled and caressed each other, but because of my blood pressure we could do nothing more. We spoke about the baby and how to explain it to Riley, he was one…how do you explain that mommy needs to stay in bed? He was kept entertained by his sisters, Shelly and Grandma Esme. We started making lists of names for the baby and I finally had time to start finishing the children's story I began just before moving home._

~o~O~o~

I had made it successfully to my 37th week. Baby Cole was officially full term and my blood pressure while still elevated was no longer in the 'Danger Zone' where a c-section was eminent. I hoped to wait until the last week of June before Todd scheduled a c-section because Edward's 38th birthday was in a few days and I wanted to be part of his party.

I was now allowed to be up for an hour at a time, but I had to be careful and not overdo it. Honestly it was sad that now that I could have a small amount of freedom, I was too tired and uncomfortable to do anything. I did want to make a couple of stops before going home which is why Shelly stopped here. I needed to get the girls clothes and I wanted to pop into the bakery to check on the cake. Mrs. Weber was creating a perfect replica of Edward's piano complete with the newest family photos sitting in frames on the closed top. I hoped he would have a nice birthday this year. Everyone would be at our house the night before, to celebrate with him and then the girls and Riley were taking him to the beach for his actual birthday. I wouldn't go, but had armed Irina with a camera and extra batteries and memory cards.

I was excited about this party because I had something extra special to give to Edward. Something we had both wanted for so long.

~o~

In order to lessen the stress on my poor husband I spent the next few days delegating jobs from my perch on the sofa. Riley was sitting in the playpen building with his blocks while Kate and Irina helped me get everything ready. Esme and Shelly were preparing a feast for the party and Mr. Weber delivered Edward's cake earlier, it was beautiful.

Jasper, Emmett and Carlisle had taken Edward into Seattle over night as a boys' night out and to get him out of our hair. They were instructed to bring him home in just over an hour. My father and Sue arrived along with Alice and Rosalie with little Emma.

Right on time we had everything set up and were waiting as we heard the sound of Edward's SUV drive up. He knew of course that we were having the family over for dinner to celebrate. It would have been impossible to pass off a surprise party in this family, someone always has loose lips, but as they entered everyone broke into a rousing rendition of 'Happy Birthday'.

Edward walked straight over to me, pulling me as close as I could get to him, before bending down to whisper, "Thank you my love, but you know I'm going to get you back for planning a party." He kissed me quickly before greeting everyone that attended.

I sat on the sofa as everyone mingled. The Cullen family was in high spirits and everyone was having a good time. Esme was constantly doting on me, Carlisle would check my blood pressure. I just wanted everyone to dote on my birthday boy. Even he was hovering.

"Sweetheart, I'm fine. Enjoy your birthday dinner. Would you like to open your presents?" 

"Isabella, I told you not to buy me anything. I have everything I could possibly want right here, well with the exception of Cole, be he'll be along shortly"

He didn't know how right he was.

After dinner it was time for the gifts. He was given new clothes from Alice, his favorite Bvlgari toiletries from the girls, and his parents, Em and Jasper gave him a gift certificate for a weekend of golfing with the guys for after the baby was born. After he thanked everyone I presented Edward with my gifts. Carlisle handed him a large flat present, inside was a collage of family pictures taken in the past several months.

"I just wanted to remind you of everything you have given me in the last year. You have given me a large and wonderful family. I know we had to reschedule the extended honeymoon you planned for last April and want to do it later on. I wanted to let you know I arranged a trip for us in October. We will go not only to Italy for a week, but also over to Greece. It will be our first anniversary of being back together and definitely a cause for celebration."

He pulled me into his lap. "Thank you Bella, it's too much love, but I can't wait until we can go."

I sat straight in his lap and handed him a large manila envelope. I simply said, "This is from Riley."

Edward's eyes glazed over as he took in the return address on the envelope. "Love?"

"Just open it sweetheart." He very carefully, slid his finger under the flap and unsealing the tabs, before peaking inside. Then a wide grin spread across his face.

"What is it?" Emmett asked the others.

Edward pulled out the papers inside, paying particular interest in a shortened copy.

"_The State of California Official Record of Live Birth for Riley Masen Cullen_"

"It's Riley's birth certificate…with my name, his name. He's legally Riley Cullen now."

Edward's smile couldn't get wider and he just held me close.

"Bella…" he whispered in my ear, "Sorry if I squeezed too hard love. I think you need to change your clothes, and I need to change my pants."

I however knew exactly what he was talking about, but it wasn't urine wetting him.

"Edward, sweetheart, it's time."

~o~

Cole Anthony Cullen was born via Caesarean section June 20 at 12:01 AM, weighing six pounds 8 ounces and nineteen inches long. I was exhausted but so happy. Edward was over the moon. Our family had left us after the baby had arrived safely; taking Kate, Irina and Riley back to the house where Carlisle, Esme and Charlie all stayed until bringing them back the next morning.

I slept as much as I could that night knowing that our parents and children would arrive early. Edward watched over us, changing Cole and helping me get settled to nurse him.

"God, I could watch you do this for the rest of our lives. You have given me the world, Bella. I love you so much, thank you for the best birthday I'll ever have."

I was in awe of my husband. He was thanking me, but he'd given me everything. He was my rock, my love, my heart, the best father in the world and had given me two beautiful sons and was sharing his beautiful daughters with me. We were truly blessed.

O~O~O~O

_**So that's it. Just a little glimpse into the next stage of their lives. The epilogue is next and will be up by Wednesday.**_

_**I want to say HI to all the new readers. I hope you have enjoyed it. To everyone that's come along on this ride, thank you thank you from the bottom of my heart. Each review has meant the world. I never thought I'd get a hundred reviews and now it's over five hundred. **_

_**I'm going to enjoy the rest of the summer with my husband and children, and make up for the time I took from them for this.**_

_**Thank you all again.**_


	32. Chapter 32 Epilogue

_**AN: Well this is it, the last chapter of How Can I Help You? It's time to send Dadward and Momella off in to the sunset. I hope you all enjoy this last look at them a few years down the road.**_

**_Stephenie Meyer created all things Twilight, I don't own the characters, I just played with them. No copyright infringement intended._**

How Can I Help You?

Epilogue

**EPOV**

"Bella, do you know what the girls did while we were out of town?" We had just returned from a week long trip to California. I had been nominated for an academy award for the score of the last movie I worked on. I didn't win, but it was a great week for Bella and I to get some much needed alone time.

"What could they possibly have done? Riley and Cole were home all week and Alice promised to check in on them." I just shook my head and pulled up the security footage of the new pool area we had built last summer. There in the midst of what looked to be thirty or more teenagers were our twin daughters, Charlie and Carlie. I really had to hand it to them, at fifteen they managed to pull off more stunts than any of their siblings. The boys had been so easy compared to their sisters.

Kate was an easy girl; nothing had ever tempted her to stray to the 'dark side'. After graduating from high school, Kate attended Columbia University. She decided two years into college that she wanted to go to law school, so she changed her major and worked very hard on her degree. Kate was now practicing in Portland, where she and her husband were living and raising our first grandchild, Ryan.

Irina floundered a bit in college and wasn't sure what she wanted to do with her life. The one thing she had been sure of was Alec. They met her freshman year at UW. He was pre-med and taking her Intro to Psych class. They literally bumped into each other walking in to their first class and have been together ever since. It took Irina three years to settle on her major, that and a discussion with Bella and me. She wanted to become a psychologist, specializing in helping children. Once she had settled on her course, everything seemed to fall into place for her. She found her niche in the Seattle public school system taking cases that are referred to her by the elementary schools in the area. She and Alec lived together for several years, much to my dismay. Bella had to stop me several times from taking her father's shotgun over to their house. I knew he loved her, but I couldn't understand why they weren't making the move to get married. His saving grace was the moment they announced to the entire family they had eloped. That was the moment I had to stop Bella from killing our new son-in-law. _"But Edward, we didn't get to see the wedding. Our little girl got married without us?"_

Irina wrapped Bella in her arms as she cried, "Momma, please, we just wanted to get it done. I did make Alec promise one thing though. I want to plan a ceremony to renew our vows on our anniversary. We'll have the big wedding then for you and Grandma to go crazy planning."

O~O~O

"Hey handsome, so what were the girls up to while we were gone?" Bella walked over to me and I immediately pulled out the office chair for her to sit in. At forty-four, Bella was simply stunning. She seemed to share the same anti-aging gene as my mother, and was only now starting to show any signs of aging. She was not happy about the necessity of staying off her feet these days. We had just returned from a Labor Day trip to Mexico when Bella started feeling sick. I worried she had picked up a parasite on the trip, so she went to her doctor to run tests. When she came home from the appointment looking pale and shocked I immediately thought the worst. Bella took one look at my frightened face and said "I'm pregnant."

After the humiliation of having my seventeen year old son picking me up off the floor I just stared at a concerned looking Bella. "Are you sure? What did the doctor tell you?"

She just nodded her head. "Todd says I'm about ten weeks. He wants me to come in for an ultrasound next week to pinpoint the date for me."

"What happened? You've had an IUD for years…how is it possible?"

I'll be honest; the thought of becoming a father again at the age of fifty-five was scary. We were already grandparents and now we were supposed to just start all over? I looked over at my wife of the last eighteen years and realized this new life was a miracle. Bella had suffered a miscarriage after the girls were born, so we were sure it was only going to be the six we had, and that was plenty.

Once the shock wore off for everyone, the absolute joy set in. Kate and Irina kept in contact with Bella every day, Charlie and Carlie helped around the house, Riley came home from school on the weekends so he could be here for Bella if I had to be out of town. Cole, however, floored us both. He came home from school the first week of his senior year telling us that he quit the football team. He wanted to make sure he was at the house in the afternoons that I was working and Riley was at school.

Both Bella and I tried to talk him out of quitting, but he'd inherited his stubbornness honestly, from both parents. Our boys were extremely protective of Bella. Like me, they knew, not thought, she hung the world. They were also in like mind when it came to their baby sisters. Kate and Irina were long gone from the house by the time the boy's were an intimidating size, Bella told them they lucked out that boyfriends only dealt with me. Charlie and Carlie weren't as lucky, which is why I suppose they managed to throw a party. I would have to speak to my sons about their whereabouts that evening. As Bella and I knew and spoke often of, we had been truly blessed in our lives. I traveled more as the children got older, if the kids could not go because of school I made sure the trips were not longer than a few days. I did schedule longer trips during their breaks and over the summer. As our sons-in-law joined our family they would travel with us as well. The airlines just _loved_ when the Cullen clan went on vacation. Having to arrange seating for ten or more passengers to be seated together, it was fun. We did enjoy showing the children the world. Whether traveling when I worked or following Bella on a book tour, the children had experience our wonderful country and the world.

Not long after our second son had been born, Bella's friend Angela gave her the news that her manuscript about a young boy that was part vampire growing up in a mortal world had been green lighted for publication. I was so proud of her. It had been her dream to write children's fiction. I had assumed she would write storybooks for younger children, but this was a junior novel one that took off in popularity. It ended up being the next year's Harry Potter.

We all traveled with her as she did her first ever book tour and it was while we were in New York at the flagship store of Barnes and Noble that we learned Bella was pregnant again. She became dizzy and passed out so she was taken to the hospital. She had apparently missed her last shot in the craziness that was our life before leaving on the tour.

Eight months later after a surprisingly easy pregnancy, especially considering twins, Charlotte Esme and Caroline Renee were born. Both were happy and healthy children.

We considered stopping at having four children under the age of five, and for a while we did. Then Bella got bitten by the baby bug, Alice had just had a baby boy named Jackson and Rose was pregnant with Emmett Junior. It didn't take us long to get pregnant, but just before the end of the first trimester, she miscarried. Not wanting to deal with another heartbreak like that, Bella insisted that she get an IUD instead of either of us having surgery.

According to her doctor, her IUD must have become dislodged and come out without her knowledge. It happens. Apparently we are very fertile for an old married couple.

Like I said we have led a blessed life. Our children grew, thrived, and developed into the kind of people we hoped they would become. They were strong, intelligent, loving, kind, and selfless (most of the time). My parents retired and moved into the cottage permanently, adding an extra room onto the house to hold all of their grandchildren. Charlie married Sue Clearwater the summer before the twins were born and he and Sue had eight grandchildren from Sue's children. It was incredibly noisy when everyone would get together.

Bella was anxious for this pregnancy to end, but after coming close to losing this baby once and being nervous about another miscarriage, she was doing everything Todd told her to do. Again around her 26th week, Bella's blood pressure started to creep up again. She was ordered to bed rest for six weeks and Todd kept a vigilant eye on her condition.

After the nominations came out she spoke to Todd, even though I had told her not to worry about it. I didn't care about an awards show even if it was the Oscars.

She had begged Todd to clear the trip to Los Angeles. He told her that if her pressure was fine consistently for three weeks before the trip he would agree to it, but on the condition that she would not be on her feet longer than twenty minutes without sitting for an hour. That was fine by me; I chose to hold her hostage in bed with a few exceptions, such as the awards ceremony and the brunches we had to attend. We had a very relaxing trip while our daughters apparently had a very messy party.

I clicked play and showed Bella the footage from the party. "You have to give them the credit due, there is no mess anywhere, so Cole, Riley or Alice got them cleaning."

"So what do you propose we do, Daddy? You know they have you completely wrapped around their little fingers." She laughed, pulling me down to kiss her.

What could I say, she was right. From the moment they were born, I had been completely ruled by them, but this was taking it too far. They knew the situation with their mom. Bella was not supposed to be stressed at all. We were in the final weeks of her pregnancy and as she was at high risk, I had tried to make things as easy on her as possible.

"Don't worry, love, I'm going to talk to them, and they will be punished." God, I should be prepared to deal with teenage daughters after Kate and Irina, but nothing had prepared me for the double trouble twins.

I shook my head, trying to clear it before helping Bella up from the chair and back to our room. I knew I drove her crazy being over protective, but she had gone through so much to make it this far, I didn't want to chance anything going wrong.

"I'm going to track down our sons and find out where they were and what they were up to while their baby sisters invited the school to party. Then I'll come up with something, don't worry about a thing. If you need me, call my phone, don't yell."

I found my teenage sons where I thought I would, down in the basement that had long ago been converted to the Cullen Men's Man Cave or as we affectionately called it the  
CMMC no estrogen zone. This room had been the refuge of every male member of our family whether Cullen, Swan, McCarty or Whitlock.

Riley was sprawled out on the sofa and Cole was sitting in the recliner, both were wearing headsets and yelling into them as they battled with other teams during some war game. "Guys, pause the game for a while, ok?"

Without a grumble Riley disconnected the game. "What's up, Dad? How was your trip? Mom's alright, isn't she?" Our sons were definitely Mama's boys and proud of it. They treated her like the queen she is.

They took one look at my face though and knew they were busted. "Where were you guys? How on earth did a party happen here while we were gone? I left explicit instructions guys."

Ry looked up at me, "Dad…I'm sorry. They are teenagers. You had to know they'd do something while you both were gone. It didn't get too crazy and we had it all cleaned by the next morning. I was out with Bree; she drove up with me for the week. C was at Marcy's." I looked at Cole with a raised brow, he flushed and I knew I had yet another thing to worry about. It was difficult easing back on the boys because Riley was an adult, going into his sophomore year at UW, Cole was a senior and he'd been dating his girlfriend for over a year. While I wanted the boys to experience life, I wanted nothing more than to keep my little girls away from teenage boys.

It was a delicate balance between the girls and the boys that until recently had not been much of an issue. Now apparently our daughters were calling me out on it. I was going to have to punish all around it seemed.

"Did you both know about the party? Before it happened?" Cole nodded, Riley shook his head no.

I swear I would be so happy when Bella was able to handle these issues again. Trying to keep my wife stress free was stressing me out.

"Come upstairs guys, you, your sisters and I are going to have conversation about this. All of you seem to have forgotten that right now isn't the time for teenage shenanigans."

We were heading up to the living room when Carlie came running down yelling for me. "DAD!"

We met at the landing and she was speaking so fast I couldn't understand her. The only word I made out was 'mom'.

I ran to our room to find Bella hutched over, holding her stomach. "Love, what's happening?"

She looked up at me and I saw a mixture of fear and excitement in her eyes. "We need to go; my water broke in the bathroom." I grabbed my wallet and keys, helping Bella towards the door. Riley was already outside and starting his truck. "Come on, I'm driving, Dad, you sit with Mom." I eased Bella into the back seat, gathering her in my arms. I thanked God that the hospital was not far as her contractions were very close. This baby was not supposed to be born naturally. We'd scheduled a c-section a month ago. Cole was on the phone with Dr. Philips telling him we were on the way to the hospital.

I don't think I took a deep breath until Todd walked into Bella's room. She'd already been given the epidural and we had been waiting for Todd to appear and take her to the surgical delivery room. "Well it seems the latest Cullen was too anxious to wait another two weeks. Let's get Bella down there and welcome Baby Cullen. Kids I saw your grandparents heading this way, and Cole, Marcy drove in with me. Eric is still out of town and she wanted to wait with you."

Each of our children kissed us as we headed down the hall. Bella was calm now that we knew our baby would be with us. We chose to be surprised this time and did not know if we were having a boy or a girl.

I was anxious to know now. This child would complete our already wonderful and sometimes exasperating family. We would love him or her unconditionally, just as we loved all of our other children.

It seemed to take no time for Bella to be transferred to the operating table and everything to be set up. I help her hand trying to watch as our child was delivered. Bella cried as a wail pierced the air. "It's a boy!"

~o~o~o~

BPOV

'The End'… I sighed as I typed those words. I had been working on a gift for Edward in my spare time over the last year. Now that Joshua was in kindergarten I had a few hours a day to myself. Edward and I would usually spend and hour or two of our new found 'alone time' reconnecting and pretending that all of our children had left home. Riley was in his last year of medical school, in Seattle. Cole had followed in my footsteps going to Stanford, where he was a senior in their engineering program. Charlotte and Carlie were both at UW. I think it was doubly hard on Edward when his last girls left for school. They were sharing an apartment in the same building that Riley lived in. It had been their suggestion, but I think it was to help alleviate their father's worry.

After Josh's birth Todd had performed a hysterectomy at my request. I did not want to chance the cancer, which had ultimately killed my mother, taking root in me. We loved our little Joshua, he was a very happy little boy and the spitting image of his father, but had a little devil in him as well. He'd changed our lives, our miracle boy. Edward took a break from composing and I took a hiatus from writing. We spent time with our children getting first Cole ready for college, then sadly our little girls. Kate and Irina both had babies in the years after Josh was born. We were elated to have not only seven beautiful healthy children but also four grandchildren.

It was while I was sitting with Irina's youngest, Gavin, that I got the idea for Edward's present. I wanted to give him a written account of our story. We were both getting older and I never wanted us to forget how incredible our life had been together. We'd been married for twenty-three years and lived for each other every moment of that time.

Once it had been bound I would give it to him for our anniversary. This year everyone was coming to our house to celebrate it with us, as it fell once again on Thanksgiving.

I knew just what I would say when we each gave our thanks before the meal.

'_I am thankful every day for my love, my Edward, my children, our family and my life.'_

And none of it would be, if I hadn't been given a job by Tanya all those years ago.

I am so grateful she came into my life, even though it was for such a brief time. My life changed forever the day I heard, _'How can I help you?'_

~THE END~

~O~O~O~O~

_**So that's all folks. The end has come and I admit I am sad to mark it complete but it is. I hope you all have enjoyed it and I want to thank you for taking this ride with me and for loving my Dilfward and Momella as much as I do.**_

_**The summer is calling me and RL will be a little crazy this summer, but I may sit and write when I get the time. For now I'll go back to just being a reader. **_


End file.
